A Spark in the Darkness - Part 2a - Destiny's Path - Training Years
by Serina562
Summary: The path of the young farmgirl takes an unexpected turn, when she encounters the tragic character of one of her childhood visions. But little is she aware of the twists her life will experience when she starts her training with her new teacher. DISCLAIMER : STAR WARS DOES NOT BELONG TO ME, IT BELONGS TO GEORGE LUCAS, LUCASFILM, AND DISNEY. THANK YOU.
1. Prologue

**Prologue II**

(8 ABY)

"Solah!" With the typical hiss, the red blade, close to the color of venous blood, retreated into the hilt. The small training remote deactivated and returned to the floor of the backroom, empty except for a lonely lounge chair in the far corner. In the stillness that descended upon the spacious room, Serina could hear the laughter of her children on the upper floor of her aunt's house. There was the clatter of dishes from the direction of the kitchen and the gruff voice of her uncle Kayv from the adjoining living room, as he discussed the latest developments of the New Republic with his wife.

With her mind, Serina reached for the small ball at the other side of their make-shift training room. Seconds later, it landed in her outstretched hand. For a moment, she stared at it, allowing the memories it evoked to flood her mind.

Yes, she had come a long way. What she accomplished today without even having to consciously concentrate on the Force was far beyond anything she had ever expected to achieve as a young girl. Honing her innate abilities to a point where she could employ them whenever needed, had at times been painful and sometimes even delightful, but telekinesis had never been her strength to start with.

And yet, along with many other abilities, she had been expected to master it.

Failure had never been an option with her master.

At times, it had been a rough and stony path, but it had been the path destiny had prepared for her.


	2. Training Session

**Training Session**

(12 BBY)

 _Certainly not a born fighter as others I have trained,_ Vader thought to himself. The young woman was cautiously moving about his training room, attempting to reflect the stun blasts of the remote with the training lightsaber he had provided for her. He briefly thought of the young boy he was currently training to become his best assassin yet. But for Serina he had a different task in mind. Not as an inquisitor either, there were enough of them working for him and the Emperor. No, something more subtle, more cunning and much more suitable to the perceptive mind he had found in her. And yet she would have to learn to handle a lightsaber, and if it was only to defend herself.

First, he had shown her the basic moves of Shii-Cho and taught her the body zones they targeted. Then she had started practicing with one of his training droids set on the lowest level possible. In addition, she had now taken up the exercise with the small remote. Her moves were still clumsy, the handhold on the weapon tense and the attacks and parries more a hewing and a stabbing than the elegant dance of a more accomplished wielder. It would certainly take some time for her to reach a satisfactory level.

And yet, it became quickly obvious that her true potential lay elsewhere. While attempting to deflect the bolts from the remote blindfolded, though her moves were clumsy, her accuracy was remarkable. Vader quickly developed a theory about the origin of this discrepancy. Serina had told him about the visions she had been having since her early childhood. While Force visions were quite rare, mostly uncontrollable and usually showed the user some future event, many accomplished Force wielders possessed the ability known as danger sense. It was considered a short-range version of the visions, reaching only moments into the future. Was Serina using this ability without even being aware of it? If so, then it was time to intensify the exercise.

"Release second remote, increase power level by two, cut intervals in half," he commanded the control unit of the training room.

Serina moaned inwardly at Vader's command as she tried to adjust to the additional source of discharges. Although not lethal, they would be painful enough to incapacitate her if she allowed them to hit home too often. She was still amazed at how she had fared so far. At first, she had been disoriented after Vader had ordered her to don the blindfold. Then he had explained to her the point of the exercise. She still felt uncomfortable handling the unfamiliar weapon and even more so now without the benefit of sight. So, she had resorted to getting a feeling of her surroundings just as Tantra had always taught her: she reached out through the Force to get a sense of even the smallest particle in the large room. In doing so, she had quickly become aware of the remote, hovering a few feet away from her, getting ready to discharge. She had practically seen the bolt leaving the small opening and time had slowed to a crawl, allowing her to deflect it in her clumsy way. As the small ball had darted away to take up a new position, she had been able to follow its move and adjust to it.

But would she manage the same feat with two remotes and much less time in between discharges? She would have to try. Drawing in a deep breath and quieting her mind, she reached out again through the Force. While she managed to reflect the first blast with ease, her serenity vanished quickly as the second remote scored a hit on her left leg just an instant later.

 _This is unfair_ , she thought to herself as a bout of anger surged through her at the inflicted pain. _Does he want me to fail? He is enjoying this I'm sure._ When the next bolt scorched her left shoulder, a memory flashed through her mind of a ship aiming straight for her, piloted by some pirates who had just killed her parents. With it, the raw emotions of loss and rage she had felt at that time washed over her. As conscious thinking stopped and her instincts took over, she could practically see the bolts before the remotes even released them, she knew where the small balls would take position next even before they started moving. Deflecting the bolts became a piece of cake since she could bring the lightsaber in the right position before the bolts even came close and moving in sync to the remotes allowed her to be in a position to not just deflect the bolts but send them in the direction the remote was shifting to. Clink. The first remote deactivated as the returned bolt registered on its sensors and dropped to the ground. Moments later the second device joined it.

Serina switched off the lightsaber and reached up to remove the blindfold. "Don't, the lesson is not over yet," Vader stopped her in mid-motion. She let her arm drop back to her side. "Can you sense where the remotes are?" Again, Serina concentrated on her perception of the Force around her. Even in their deactivated form, the two small metal balls appeared as bright beacons due to their built-in power source. "Yes, master," she confirmed.

"Now use the Force to pull them toward you," he ordered her. A signal from his comlink claimed his attention. "Put the call through to my quarters," he told the officer who had contacted him. "Continue with the exercise until I return," he commanded his young apprentice and left the training room.

Even with his overbearing presence gone for the moment, Serina did not allow herself to relax. He would certainly be monitoring her progress. She raised her right hand in the direction of the first remote, using it to help her project an invisible grasp toward the small metal object. As she envisioned herself picking up the device from the floor and willed it to move toward her, a metallic rattle broke her concentration. Yet the sound was proof to her that she had at least made contact with the object through the Force.

Again, she calmed her breathing and opened herself to the living energies around her. And again, the small object resisted her attempt to draw it toward her. Judging by the scraping sound she had heard, it had to have moved some more but it was still far beyond her physical reach. Slowly she was getting upset with her own ineptitude. When she had watched recordings from the Clone Wars during her childhood, the Jedi had moved much larger objects with ease, apparently without even having to concentrate much. Why was it so hard for her to move this stupid little metal ball?

But it was of no use, she had to try again. This time it took her much longer to calm her breathing and to reach the state of mind in which she could open herself to the Force. When she finally located the remote within her mental awareness , she reached for it with all the determination she could muster, willing it to slide toward her feet. She heard it rattle on the metal floor and sensed it starting to move toward her, but again she lost it out of her mental grip. Anger surged through her at her repeated failure to achieve the task.

A grim determination gripped her and this time she didn't bother to calm her breathing before reaching out through the Force once more. The anger cursing through her system suddenly enabled her to reach for the small ball with a crushing grip. The metal casing of the small automaton gave off a scrunching sound; then it was pulled off the floor and flew at her with blinding speed. Totally surprised at her sudden success, she didn't manage to catch the remote. It hit her smack in the chest and knocked her off her feet. For a moment, she just sat there, trying to gather her wits, when the door slid open behind her and the heavy footfalls of Vader approached.

Quickly Serina leaped to her feet and turned to the Dark Lord. "I have business to attend to. Captain Cords is waiting for you outside. He will see to your further evaluation," he informed her, before he turned and left the room with quick strides. For a moment, Serina just stood there and pondered what she had just been told. Further evaluation? What was he talking about? Then she removed the blindfold and picked up the two remotes, returning them to their repositories together with the training lightsaber. One of them was no longer a perfect sphere but sported some visible dents on two sides as if it had gotten into some kind of vise.

* * *

Several hours later, Serina didn't even bother to undress when she returned to her quarters but just threw herself onto the bed. She had barely touched the sheets when she slipped into a fitful sleep. While she was tossing from side to side, her mind replayed the events of the past days.

One moment she watched herself sitting in the small café on _Circarpous IV_ , the next moment she was in the training room getting stung by the remote. In her dream, she got hit again and again, until in a fit of rage she grasped the remote through the Force and smashed it against the wall where it morphed into a burning spaceship. The vessel exploded and she was pelted with debris and small bits of wheat. She shielded her eyes from the onslaught and when it stopped abruptly, she found herself sitting at a desk with question after question scrolling up on the pad in front of her. But although she could read the words, the sentences made no sense at all. Suddenly a dark masked figure stepped in front of her and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her out of the chair. "You are a failure. I have no use for you." His grip around her throat tightened and she struggled to draw another breath. Then, as everything around her sank into darkness, she woke with a start.

She was drenched in sweat and a cold shiver ran down her spine. Her breathing was labored as if the choking had really happened and her whole body ached as if the remote had truly stung her during her dream. She rolled herself off the bed and took a quick look at the time display on the comm unit. Just two more hours until the next training session! And she felt as if she hadn't slept at all! But it would not do to go back to sleep. So, she peeled off her sweaty clothes and stepped into the shower. The hot water allowed her to relax and shed the residue of the unsettling dream. And yet, a feeling of unease at the emotions, that had enabled her to accomplish her task the day before, remained. But she refused to dwell on that. She would not permit anyone, not even her own subconscious, to dissuade her from the path she had committed herself to.

After slipping into a fresh set of workout clothes, she left her quarters and headed to the nearest mess hall. _I still have to give back the navipad to the quartermaster,_ she reminded herself. It had taken her just a few days to get her bearings on the huge ship once Vader had decided on teaching her and had allowed her to roam the ship unattended. With the dream swiftly fading from her conscious mind, she quickened her pace in eager anticipation of the challenges of the new day. Failure on her part was not an acceptable option. She would not cause Lord Vader to question her usefulness for him.

* * *

Punctual to the minute, Captain Cords picked her up from her quarters. "Lord Vader has assigned me to overlook your training during his absence," he informed her as he directed her toward the training area reserved for the cadets of the various naval academies during their field assignment on the Imperial Star Destroyer.

When they arrived, he introduced her to the commander responsible for coordinating the onboard training. "This is the young woman who was evaluated yesterday. Have you set up the schedule for her?"

"Yes, Sir, we will commence her training immediately. Individual academic lessons until 1200, lunchbreak until 1300, physical work out and practical exercises in the afternoon until 1800 as ordered."

With a nod, Cords acknowledged the timeframe and then turned to Serina. "Return to your quarters after dinner. I will pick you up at 1900 for your special assignment." Vader had ordered him to take Serina to the training room in his quarters in the evenings, without expounding on what she was supposed to do there. But he had learned not to ask unsolicited questions. Being the liaison officer between Admiral Serfs and Lord Vader was challenging enough. Many of his predecessors had not survived their assignments. He did his best to learn from their mistakes.

* * *

In a swift motion Serina brought her lightsaber blade up into a horizontal guard position to parry the vertical chop of the training droid; as she deflected the droid's blade to her right, she followed with a horizontal sideswipe to her opponent's midsection which was parried in turn by a vertical block. As the droid followed with a low sideswipe to her right leg, she parried the strike with her blade pointing to the ground. Then the sequence repeated, yet with reversed positions. Parry, attack, parry, attack, head, side, legs, head, side, legs. The moves repeated over and over, their speed increasing with each completed sequence until finally Serina called "Solah!". As the training droid withdrew into a stand-by position, Serina turned to face the dark robed figure that had entered the training room during her exercise.

"Master," she addressed Vader as she knelt down in front of him. She briefly wondered what he had been doing during the past hour since she had felt his presence back on the ship. Had he checked on her progress? Was he satisfied or had she evoked his displeasure? Was the anger she could feel boiling in him due to her performance or was it connected with the mission he had just returned from?

As the Dark Lord regarded the young girl kneeling in front of him, he considered the update Captain Cords had provided him with. Since she had told him about her desire to join the Imperial Navy, he had ordered her physical aptitude and level of academic education evaluated and, where needed, improved to meet the entrance requirements for the officer's training at the academy on _Prefsbelt_. From Cords' report, she had only required a few days of individual coaching until she had been able to join the daily routine of the cadets from the Sector Naval Academies, stationed onboard for their first training cruise. Her test results in all of the sciences were in the top two percent as required for the academy. Physically she also met all requirements. She had proved quite capable in blaster and even flight simulator training, but had shown difficulties with the hand to hand combat. Although quite proficient in defending herself, she was overly reluctant to attack. _Definitely not a born fighter,_ he confirmed to himself his own conclusion from days prior.

But Cords had also informed him of an odd observation pointed out by one of the supervisors of the cadets. Vader had even watched some of the training recordings to study the issue in greater detail. At first, many of the other cadets had shown obvious hostility toward her when she had been introduced to the group. He had ensured that her connection to him would not become public. Since no information had been given to explain her sudden presence on board, the other cadets had reacted with wary rejection or even open animosity. But as soon as she had gotten into more personal contact with several of them, the hostility had quickly turned into friendly acceptance. Often the exchange had been accompanied by some sort of physical contact - a shaking of hands here, a fleeting touch in passing there - and within a short few days, she had not only been integrated into the group, but some of the young men had even started striving to impress her. Though Vader suspected what she had done to achieve this change, Serina would certainly have some explaining to do.

When he had finally entered his quarters, he had watched her practice the Shii-Cho velocities with the droid. Her moves, though still limited to the most basic of the combat forms, had become fluid, her grasp on the handle had relaxed visibly, and she had learned to immerse herself in the Force. But it quickly became obvious that she put much less effort into the strikes than she ever put into the parries. _The Jedi would have turned her into a master of Soresu,_ Vader thought to himself with distaste, but he was not training her to be a Jedi. Even so the Sith also employed those mainly defensive moves in their fighting, he would make her acquire some of the other more aggressive stiles as well.

He thought back to her exercise with the remotes right before he had left for the Emperor's errand. Of course, he had noted the dents her mental grip had left on the small metal automaton. So, she _was_ capable of displaying anger and of wresting the Force in the way of the Sith, causing it to do her bidding instead of submitting to its leading as had been the path of the Jedi. For her to be truly useful to him, he would have to elicit that anger again and introduce her to the true power of the dark side. And he was just in the right mood for it after the total uselessness of the mission he had just returned from.

"Get your own lightsaber and show me what you have learned while I was gone," he told her as he unhooked his own weapon from his belt.

* * *

Hours later, Serina returned to her quarters and gingerly peeled out off her clothes. As she pulled the sleeves of her top off her arms, she cringed in pain as the material tore away some of the skin it had been fused to. As the blood started to ooze out of the now open wound, her thoughts wandered back to her training with Vader.

At first, he had just repeated some of the sequences she had exercised previously with the training droid. Slowly he had increased the speed, past the level she had managed with the droid. "You are thinking too much," he had told her eventually. "You need to trust the Force to guide your blade. And quit holding back! Just defending yourself will not keep you alive in a fight!" Then his strikes had become more forceful, leaving her no time to think. She had been well aware that he had been greatly restraining himself - otherwise he would have just obliterated her -, but at that moment, she had barely been able to parry his strikes as he had borne down on her.

Then his blade had touched her upper right arm, just barely, but it had been enough to instantly sear through the fabric and cauterize the wound. The pain had shot through her and anger had welled up in her. Any Jedi Master had enough control to not injure his padawan. And Vader commanded more power than most Jedi ever had. So he had done it on purpose, she had realized, but had no time to dwell on that either. Again, she had to parry his strikes as he had driven her back toward the far wall of the training room. Then he had penetrated her defenses once more, this time inflicting the same type of damage to her left forearm.

As the renewed pain had seared through her, the rising anger had swept away any unease she had still been harboring regarding those dark emotions. It had mingled with the fury she had been sensing through the Force boiling in Vader's dark soul, so she had finally relinquished control and had let her instincts take over. As she had looked up from the smoldering wound on her arm to the Sith Lord just preparing to strike again, there had been suddenly a pristine clarity she had never experienced before. Time had slowed to a crawl and even before Vader had started to swing his blade she had already known its target. Though she had perceived her own movement as sluggish, yet she had had plenty of time to bring her own blade in the right position to parry the strike. For long moments, their exchange had continued. Though she had still been on the defensive, she had now been able to parry his strikes with growing ease. And then she had suddenly seen the opening. Vader, still holding back to not severely harm her, had executed a sideswipe at her left leg expecting her to block it as she had before. Instead of blocking however, she had jumped up and allowed the blade to sweep through under her, striking at his right hand that was holding his weapon. Although her movement had been quite slow, she had still managed to slightly nick his gauntlet glove.

For a short moment, she had been distracted by the feeling of glee over her success. Time enough for Vader to send her lightsaber spinning out of control, her hand aching from the forceful twist that had caused her to lose it. She had dropped to her knee in front of him uncertain of his reaction. He had brought his lightsaber to hover right above her head. Then he had extinguished it and had told her to get up. After retrieving her lightsaber and attaching it to her belt, she had followed him into his main quarters.

"What did you do to those cadets?" he had questioned her as he had stood gazing through the huge viewport at the stars beyond. At first, she had not understood what he had been talking about. When he had told her about the observation of one of the supervisors, she had explained, "I sort of wished them into accepting me." "How?" he had demanded and so she had told him: from the remarks of her childhood classmates to the teachings of Tantra, even how she had influenced Merik. "It does not always work," she had added, "and I don't always do it consciously, either. But I noticed that it works better if I touch somebody in the process."

Vader had considered her explanation for some time before sending her to her quarters. "Use the Force to treat your wounds. It's a good exercise in self-control. Just help the healing process to speed up," had been the only bit of advice he had offered.

So now she would attempt to heed that counsel. Tantra's stories had contained enough examples of Jedi using Force healing to repair minor or even major damage to themselves or others. But until this time, she had never found any need for experimenting with this ability.

She sat down on her bed in the meditative position Tantra had shown her. Then she calmed her mind and put all memories of the exchange, of the events of the past days and even the pain that throbbed in her arms aside. When her mind was totally serene, she opened her awareness to the Force around her. She could feel it permeating her whole being, strong, powerful, and alive. Then she directed her awareness to the wounds on her arms.

As her vision sharpened, she could see the blood oozing out of the damaged blood vessels. She became aware of her body trying to clot the blood in order to close off the vessels and of the new skin cells forming at the edge of the wounds. At first still quite tenuous, she directed the energies around her to support the natural processes. With amazement, she watched the blood flow stop, the growth of the skin cells doubling, tripling, increasing exponentially. For hours, she just sat there, watching the healing process continue, drawing on the Force around her and applying the energy where needed.

When at last the cauterized skin of the second wound peeled away, revealing the pink healthy skin that had formed underneath, she cast a glance at the time display. Just an hour until she had to report at the training center. Though she had not slept at all, she felt more refreshed than after a full night of rest. _Better than sleep anytime,_ she thought to herself, _at least_ _no chance for nightmares!_ Then a curious thought crossed her mind: did Vader ever sleep? And if, what was haunting his dreams? Perhaps the fight on that lava planet she had seen in that vision so long ago? Would she ever get a chance to find out?


	3. A Game of Felinx-and-Rodus

**A Game of Felinx-and-Rodus**

(11 BBY)

"Cadet Robins, Cadet Wanders: present your result," Major Larrik motioned the two young women to advance to the front of the class.

They quickly complied and with a touch Serina instructed her datapad to transfer the requested file to the main viewscreen of the classroom. The teacher granted the other students a few moments to compare the displayed solution with their own results.

"Which of you agree?" he addressed the nearly fifty cadets, seated in a semicircle at two-person desks around his central, slightly elevated pulpit. Many hands were raised in acknowledgment, but several of the pairs were scowling either at their own datapads or at the young women with the apparently correct solution.

"For the benefit of those who still got their wires crossed," Larrik continued with a condescending expression, "would you please indulge us as to how you arrived at this conclusion, Cadet Wanders?"

After a quick glance at Pat, Serina moved several more files to the display and started into her explanation.

"We started out with looking at the likely originator of the message. There was little information given except that it could be traced back to the _Savareen_ sector. So, we checked the databank for the species with the highest percentage of the population there. The majority, of course, are humans, but the Rodians are already second in line. So, we assumed that the transmission was probably in Rodese and encrypted with their preferred methods." Serina spent the following minutes listing the various decryption methods they had applied along with the appropriate translation tools.

She was just nearing the end of her discourse when the door at the far back of the classroom opened. The strange appearance of the man who slipped inside and took up a position along the wall just a few feet away from the entrance caused the young woman to interrupt her presentation and cast a questioning look at her teacher. Several of the other cadets turned around and gazed curiously at the unique sight.

The man was tall, gaunt, and balding. His outfit was mainly black with a high-collard tunic and knee-high boots, supplemented by some sort of black breastplate and a black robe with red symbols along its border. Most riveting, however, was his face. A pattern of black tattoos curved away from the corners of his mouth. A slim black leather band covered the place where humans usually had their eyes.

A chill ran down Serina's spine as his attention centered on her accompanied by a wave of dark emotions. But her attempt to fathom who the man was and what his presence might imply for her continued attendance at the academy was abruptly cut short. "Cadet Wanders, would you mind finishing?" With his sharp remark, Major Larrik drew the attention of the class away from the visitor after acknowledging him with a quick nod of his head.

With a slightly embarrassed blush, Serina picked back up where she had interrupted her presentation moments earlier. A few minutes later, the piercing noise of the academy bell marked the end of their lesson. After the major had issued them their assignments for the following week, he dismissed the class. With more curious glances at the black clad figure, the cadets filed out the door and headed for the mess hall.

Serina had engaged her roommate into a lively discussion about their presentation and was careful to keep Pat between herself and the stranger as they approached him on their way out. Had he sensed that she was hiding something, that she was more than she purported to be? Would he call her out, make her stop or perhaps even grab her? How should she react if he did? Fighting down the dread that had taken hold of her, she concentrated her every thought on the conversation lest her fears betrayed her.

And then they were past him, out the door and nothing had happened. Unwittingly, Serina reached for the small lump barely noticeable underneath her uniform shirt. It was an amulet she wore around her neck, a very special nodule made of the skin of a Taozin. Vader had given it to her as a protection from discovery through other Force-users. She had worn it dutifully since her first day at the academy. And, if her suspicion as to the identity of the stranger proved true, it might have just saved her life.

* * *

"Hey, Wanders, what do you think?"

For a moment, the young woman looked up from her dinner and scowled at the dark-haired cadet sitting across from her. She had refrained herself from joining their ongoing discussion about the stranger from the day before. Although none of them had seen him again during the more than twenty-four hours that had passed, his appearance had given rise to all sorts of speculations.

"Come on, you've got to have an opinion, too!" It was obvious, that Ral would not give her any peace about the matter until she complied.

"Hmm," she swallowed down the last bite of the non-descript stew they had been served and washed it down with some of her reddish, watered down fruit juice. Then she favored him with a pondering expression. "I guess, I would agree with Nutbor." She wagged her head and continued, "I think, he's right. The guy could be some special agent from the Emperor. He was way to ostentatious to be part of the normal ISB. But I don't have the slightest idea, why he would have checked in on our cryptology class. Don't they usually look for people that still follow those Jedi sorcerers?"

Her counterpart nodded in confirmation. There had been enough rumors in the years since the establishment of the Empire about so called Inquisitors. It was said that they continued to hunt down any remaining Jedi or those who still believed in that outdated religion. "Yeah, I can't think of anybody either that would fit that description. But perhaps that guy can see something we can't."

"He probably does! Did you notice that leather band he wore over his eyes? And from what I could tell, I don't think he even has eyes. I did some research last night. I think the guy might be a Miraluka."

"Miraluka? Who are they?" Pat inquired, curiously listening in on their conversation along with several others.

"There is not much to be found about them in the databanks. But they are born without eyes and live mainly on _Alpheridies_ , in the _Farstey_ sector. And yet they seem to be able to see, just not like we do. So, I have no idea, what the guy saw." Serina was quite aware that her additional information would cause the speculations to run even wilder. But that was just fine as long as it drew everybody's attention away from her. After all, she could think of only one reason for the guy's presence in their classroom. And it would not do for anybody to discover her part in it.

Suddenly, a wave of dark emotions swept over her, causing her whole body to tense up. Fighting hard to keep any trace of worry from her face and with her attention fully centered on the ensuing discussion, she started to scan the mess hall out of the corner of her eye. She quickly discovered the origin of the strong sensation.

There he was, right next to the southern entrance, just as conspicuous as the day before. But this time, he was not alone. The figure beside him was obviously a cadet, although probably one of the seniors. He was at least five years her elder, a head shorter than the stranger and wore his dark blond hair in the usual military style. The most noticeable feature however was his absolutely nondescript face. She was certain: the moment she looked away from it, she would forget it immediately. It was a face most suitable for somebody in Imperial Intelligence.

Quite obviously, they were talking about some of the cadets sitting at the tables in the large hall. The taller man's eyeless gaze would roam across the room until it centered on whomever the shorter fellow had apparently pointed out to him. After a few moments of concentration, his gaze would move on to the next candidate in line.

And he was slowly turning in her direction. Instinctively, Serina leaned forward in her seat to bring Pat between her and his line of sight. But even as she did, she realized the futility of that action. Whatever he used to see - and she was absolutely certain that it was the Force - would not be hindered by the body of her roommate at all. She could only hope that the small amulet would deliver what Vader had claimed it could.

As the powerful presence drew closer and finally centered on her, a memory suddenly popped back into her mind. No matter how nondescript the face of the senior cadet might be, she had definitely seen it once before. It had been about two months after she had started her classroom training at the academy...

 _The room was only dimly lit and unlike the rest of the far spread academy buildings its temperature was far below what most human species would consider comfortable. But Serina didn't even notice as she moved her lightsaber in swift sweeping arches to reflect the bolts issuing in rapid succession from the small training remote. A sheen of sweat covered her forehead despite the coldness and stained the black blindfold covering her eyes. Except for the low humming of her orange blade, the sizzling of the discharges and an occasional grunt from the young woman, no sounds could be heard through the thick walls of the forgotten basement facility._

 _It had taken her a few weeks of diligent research to locate a place on the academy grounds where she could continue her lightsaber training without the danger of being discovered. Vader had given her quite explicit instructions regarding any extracurricular exercises. If anybody discovered her Force-sensitivity and reported it to the Inquisitors, she would be on her own. If they caught her and brought her to_ Prakith _, he would deny any knowledge of her existence._

 _Part of the limited assistance her master had been willing to provide her with was the talisman. It incorporated the skin of a Taozin into a typical Sith amulet and thus increased the Force-blurring properties to effectively hide the wearer's Force-connection. She was to keep it on her person at all times. As long as she did not draw on the Force herself, not even an Inquisitor should be able to distinguish her from the other cadets around her._

 _But, of course, she had to do just that in order to press ahead with her lightsaber training and the other exercises her master had shown her during her time on the_ Exactor _. So, she sought out a place far enough away from the central academy grounds and untouched by the usual bustle of activity. She had roamed the facility during her spare time, equipped with as detailed a map as she could locate in the publicly accessible databanks and had kept her eyes and ears open._

 _It had been mere coincidence that she had stumbled across a door in the nearly deserted basement of the TIE fighter training block. All the other doors had led into storage rooms, small maintenance shops for droids or technical installations that supplied the building with heat and water, except for this one. It was locked and it was apparent, that nobody had used it in decades. She had quickly consulted her map and it had depicted the symbol for a stairwell right behind the door in question, a stairwell that did not show up on the level above. Therefore, it had to lead downwards. But there was no level on the map below her. What could possibly be down there?_

 _The small panel beside the entrance had obviously been without power. But she had returned a few days later with a micrel power supply that she had discovered in one of the engineering classes and one of the small hatch crackers they had experimented with in cryptology. It had been late at night and the corridor had been deserted. With her personal multitool she had managed to lift the cover of the panel enough to connect the micrel to the inner workings. Then she had used the hatch cracker to overcome the code that was blocking the access. The door had slipped aside quietly in spite of its long years of disuse. She had disconnected her equipment and pressed the panel cover back into place. Then she had ignited her glowrod and stepped into the stairwell. The door had slipped shut behind her as she had advanced down the stairs curious as to what she would discover._

 _And it had been just perfect. After the fourth half landing, the stairwell had opened into a wide hallway lined with several heavy wooden doors. None of them were locked and nearly all of them led into small cells with a rusty metal cot on one side and an old-fashioned toilet in the corner next to the entrance. The only exception was to be found at the far end of the corridor. If the other chambers had housed some prisoners in years long passed, this had been the room for the guards on duty. It was a good fifteen feet wide and long and contained several tables and chairs. If there had ever been any electronic equipment installed, it had been removed when the small prison had fallen into disuse. The whole level was without power and smelled of dankness and mildew._

 _But she had not minded that at all. If she needed any light for her exercises, her glowrod would provide just enough of it. And her training routine with the lightsaber would make her forget the coldness quickly as well. So, she had secured her secret training room and had programmed the access panel to only react to her presence and her personal code. The rest of the time it would appear as dead as it had been in the past decades._

 _A low ping indicated that she had managed to reflect another of the discharges back to the remote and that this particular training routine had come to an end. With a quick press of her thumb she extinguished her weapon and removed the blindfold. Then she retrieved the remote from where it had settled down on the hard stone floor and packed it together with her lightsaber into her small satchel. After she had settled down on one of the old tables lining one side of the room, she started into the second part of her exercise for the evening._

 _An hour later, she was quite pleased with her accomplishments. Although she was far from being satisfied with her telekinetic abilities, she had managed a visible improvement from her first attempts with the small remotes in Vader's training room. Being able to let one of the tables hover a bare inch above the floor might not sound like much in comparison to the feats her master was capable of, but it was much more than she had ever expected to accomplish._

 _With her thoughts occupied by memories of her first few weeks on the_ Exactor _, she climbed the stairs that led back into the basement of the TIE fighter training block. For weeks, the corridor had always been deserted when she had returned after her exercises. Lost in her fond memories, she did not bother to reach out into the corridor through the Force to confirm that it was vacant. She activated the door control from inside the stairwell and stepped into the hallway right into the path of a senior cadet. His presence startled her and she nearly dropped her small satchel. But she caught herself just in time to quickly take another step to the other side of the young man and away from the door, allowing it to slide shut behind her. Berating herself for her own stupidity and lack of caution, she muttered an apology and hurried toward the turbolift at the far end of the hallway._

...From that day on, she had made absolutely certain, that nobody could watch her on the way to or from her secret training room, but she had not seen that particular cadet in the close to two months that had passed since her encounter with him in the basement of the TIE fighter training block. So, she had dismissed the incident as pure coincidence. But apparently, that had been a serious mistake, a mistake that might cost her dearly.

Just as her thoughts returned to the here and now, one of her classmates at the far end of the table called everybody's attention to the southern entrance. "Hey, isn't that the guy over there? Whom is he talking to?" Everybody at the table turned in the indicated direction, including her roommate Pat.

And suddenly, the line of sight between Serina and the stranger was clear of any obstruction. His eyeless stare was fully concentrated on her face. Time slowed to a standstill as she held his gaze. Her whole body tensed and a cold shiver ran down her spine. Then the moment was over and the contact broke as Pat turned back toward her, blocking her sight of the stranger. Quickly, a lively discussion ensued as everybody voiced their speculations about the involvement of the senior cadet and the possible reasons for their mutual presence in the mess hall. When Serina managed another glance at the southern entrance a few moments later, the ill-matched pair had disappeared.

* * *

By the time Benduday finally arrived, the first rumors of various cadets having undergone intensive questioning by the stranger started making the rounds. Some had returned to their comrades, others hadn't. Nobody knew anything about their fate, but speculations were running wild, of course, only on the quiet. With any teacher present, nobody dared to bring up the subject. And somebody had put a name to the stranger: Jerec.

So far, Serina had not been approached, but she knew it was only a matter of time. And yet, despite racking her brains over a way to escape the impending doom, no feasible idea had sprung to her mind as yet. With each hour that passed, her resentment toward the little snitch that had pointed her out to the dreaded inquisitor increased along with her anxiety regarding the fate that would await her should the Emperor's agent discover her potential.

After a restless night and further rumors being recounted during breakfast, she arrived at a weighty decision: she might not be able to save herself from the clutches of the Inquisitorius, but she would ensure that the senior cadet would never get another chance to rat on anybody else in the future, even if it was the last thing she accomplished before being hauled off to _Prakith_.

While her roommate headed off with some of the other cadets toward the recreational grounds, Serina made her way toward the academy's central administrative building and the large library housed there. Discovering the snitch's name would only be the first step in the plan that was starting to take form in her head. And perhaps she would discover some method of diverting the Inquisitor's attention along the way.

The vast hall was lined with high storage shelfs for the huge diversity of recorded information. Between them, various tables with access terminals allowed for either single study or group efforts. Only few cadets occupied the small niches between the shelfs. It was Benduday morning and the only time for unregulated activities. That would change however later in the day.

After a quick consultation of her personal datapad, Serina moved toward the cryptology section and removed one of the datatapes her teacher had referred to during their classroom studies. Then she moved into one of the smaller alcoves with a single access terminal. Once the inserted tape had listed its contents on the display, providing her a perfect cover, she started into her real objective.

When lunch time caused Serina to hurry back to the large mess hall she and her classmates were assigned to, she had managed to acquire whatever information had been available in regard to the cadet with the unmemorable features from the quite cooperative terminal in the library. And she had discovered some other interesting snippets in the process, as well. If she could incorporate them into her plan, she might just be able to achieve her goal.

Of course, the computer's cooperation had been based on the one other means Vader had supplied her with: a high-level access code. But as with the amulet, his orders had been absolutely strict: she was to use it only in situations of utter despair once all other means were exhausted. But, after all, if her current predicament didn't qualify, she had no idea which situation would.

* * *

Extracurricular simulator time was quite limited and hard to get by. And if one was late for whatever reason, the slot one had reserved often days in advance would be filled quickly by someone else. Therefore, when Serina arrived in the large room that took up most of the second floor of the TIE fighter training block the next Centaxday evening, she was not surprised that the others scheduled at the same time as she were already queuing up next to the doors of the turbolift.

Twelve simulators for individual or group training were arrayed in two long rows, the one in the back off-center to the one in front. Each full-sized ball-shaped pod was about two meters in height and suspended on a heavy-duty rack that allowed it to turn a full 360 degrees. Various mobile ladders stood at the ready to allow access to the top hatch. Three supervisor stations at the front of each group of four units allowed for detailed observation by the training instructors.

As the training hour came to a conclusion, the hatches on top of the simulators popped open. Each cadet who emerged from one of the pods was replaced by one from the waiting line. After receiving the results of their exercise and downloading them to their individual datapads for personal review, the young men who had completed their training, dressed in the typical all-black flight suits and carrying their helmets in their hands, headed toward the turbolift at the far end of the room.

From her place at the end of the waiting line, Serina eyed each one of them as they filed past her. Most of them were older cadets, probably in their last term at the academy. None of them were familiar to her until her gaze fell upon a lonely figure, one of the last ones to leave the simulators. The face was just as unmemorable as before, but her detailed study of Gil Bard's records had etched it deeply into her mind.

As she took another step toward the nearest of the supervisor stations and slightly into his path, he looked up from his datapad. When their eyes met, Serina allowed a conscience-stricken expression to flash across her face before she quickly averted her gaze and let her features slacken into blandness. For a barely perceptible moment, Gil hesitated, but then he moved past her toward the exit.

Fighting down the urge to turn and follow him with her eyes, the young woman moved toward the end of the hall and climbed the ladder to her assigned simulator pod.

* * *

Serina cracked the old-fashioned door of the emergency stairwell open only far enough to get a good view of the hallway beyond. It was just as deserted and dimly lit as she remembered it from her last visit several days prior. If Gil was watching her, he was really good at staying out of sight. The Force would have revealed his presence to her, but she did not dare to reach for it beyond the protective sphere of the amulet.

With a swift move, she pulled the door open and stepped into the corridor. A few quick steps brought her to the access panel at the entrance into the catacombs as she had nicknamed the former detention cells below. After a furtive glance along the way she had come, she activated the panel and entered the access code. With another glance over her shoulder, she removed one of the glowrods from her small satchel, activated it and stepped into the dark entrance that had opened in front of her.

She had just started with an easy routine of blaster training with the small remote, when she heard the clacking sounds of military boots on the hard stone floor of the hallway outside. Ignoring the sensation of being watched, she continued to fire single blaster bolts at the fast-moving target while trying to avoid the stinging shots from the small droid by taking cover behind turned-over tables and chairs scattered throughout the room.

"Dang it!" she cried out angrily as she crashed to the floor. While her own success at hitting the evasive device was only meager to non-existent, the remote had managed to stun her right leg out from under her. "Terminate exercise!" The command caused the small metal ball to deactivate and sink to the ground. With a disgusted expression on her face, the young woman tried frantically to rub some feeling back into her numb limb, when a depreciatory harrumph from the entrance caused her to spin around toward the source of the sound. Her eyes widened in fearful surprise as she caught sight of Gil leaning against the doorframe with a haughty smile on his face.

"So, what do you think you are doing down here?" As if he needed to ask. "We have enough facilities on the camp grounds for that kind of training." He gave her a scrutinizing once-over. "Or are you afraid they find out how bad you really are?"

Serina nodded fervently to confirm his assumption. "I never had a chance to practice with a moving target. And I was never really good at hitting the stationary ones. So, when I discovered these rooms down here, I figured I could get some unobserved practice. But then I ran into you that one night and didn't dare to come back for quite some time. I just started again a few days ago. And now you show up again." Her voice had taken on a whiny quality as if she were close to tears. With an anxious expression, she added, "Will you report me?"

"Hmm," for a long moment, Gil considered the situation and the opportunity it presented for him. It was not really difficult to arrive at a decision that would benefit both of them. "No, I won't. As a matter of fact, I'll help you. I'm a pretty good shot myself." His boastfulness made Serina's hair stand on end, but she did not allow her disgust to show on her face. "I'll show you how to improve your shooting. And I'm sure we can work out a way for you to repay me."

From her study of his records she had a pretty good idea of what kind of payment the older cadet had in mind. "You... you would do that for me? Oh, thank you so much. I don't know what I can offer you in exchange. So just let me know what you have in mind." With an eager and thankful expression, the young woman rose to her feet, still favoring her stunned leg. "How about tomorrow at the same time?"

Gil nodded in agreement.

After a quick look at her chronometer, Serina added, "I better get going. I still have to meet my roommate at the library. I'll see you tomorrow. And thanks again." Then she limped toward the stairwell and disappeared into the darkness above.

A smug smile appeared on the older cadet's face as he gazed after her departing figure. Perhaps, he had finally found somebody able and willing to satisfy his personal needs. And if she refused, there was still the Inquisitor on site.

* * *

Serina's mind was still preoccupied with how to proceed with her scheme when Pat elbowed her ungently in the ribs. "Hey, there he is again," she whispered in her roommate's ear and indicated the direction of the door with a subtle motion of her head.

For an awful long moment, terror threatened to overwhelm Serina as she realized whom her roommate was referring to. Had he come to pick her up for questioning? Had he sensed her use of her innate abilities the night before?

She had been so extremely careful. Gil had showed up at the agreed time in front of the entrance into the catacombs. He had followed her down the dark stairwell and together they had lit up the long hallway with self-adhesive glowrods. Then the older cadet had insisted on showing her the proper handling of the blaster. He had stepped behind her and directed her into the appropriate position by placing his hand on hers. Little had he been aware of the opportunity he had presented to her in doing so.

She would have never dared to reach out through the Force to accomplish her goal with the Inquisitor so nearby, but the physical contact allowed her to stay within the protective sphere of her amulet and yet use her special abilities on the young man. It did not take much to discern the kind of fantasies Gil entertained with her in a prominent roll. They fit only too well in with the picture his records had painted for her. To increase these desires and speed up his preconceived timetable for achieving them was quickly accomplished without him becoming aware of what she was doing.

She had been absolutely convinced that the amulet had covered her action, but what if it hadn't? Had Jerec sensed what she had done? Risking discovery to avoid demise had been dangerous, but it had been the only option available, hadn't it? Had she been too slow in her scheming? If he picked her up now, her whole plan would come to naught.

Then she got a hold of herself. If he picked her up, so be it. There was nothing she could do about it. But if not, it might just be the opportunity she needed for the final phase of her scheme.

The hour dragged on. Although cryptology was usually one of her favorite studies, it just didn't seem possible to summon the concentration necessary to stay on the subject. And she was certainly not alone in that predicament. Even Major Larrik appeared quite uncomfortable with the strange observer in the back of the classroom. If he caught the furtive glances some of the cadets were casting toward the black clad figure, he didn't bother to reprimand them for it.

When the academy bell finally relieved them of their misery, everybody was anxious to exit the classroom and escape the scrutiny of the eyeless observer. As the first cadets approached the exit, the door slid aside revealing two figures in white armor ready to arrest whomever the Inquisitor would indicate.

One after another, the young cadets filed out the door. Each of them heaving a sigh of relief once they had passed the stormtroopers without getting detained. Pat had already left the room, but Serina had stepped up to their teacher. With a question about one of his pet issues that would insure a lengthy explanation, she got him involved in a lively conversation. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched her classmates slip outside one by one without Jerec so much a moving an inch. Was he waiting for her? The shorter the line got, the likelier that fearsome scenario became.

Soon, there were only two other young men left. Unlike most of the others in this class, they were already several terms ahead and not from the communications branch either. Serina had not come to know much about them beyond their names and majors. They had been engaged in a heated discussion and had lingered behind just like her. But as Larrik concluded his explanation and dismissed the young woman, they grabbed their satchels and datapads and started heading for the exit. Keeping a wary eye on the black clad stranger, she grabbed her own bag and followed a few steps after them.

The moment the taller one of them had passed the Inquisitor, the Miraluka gave a small nod in the direction of his troopers. They allowed the shorter cadet to step into the hallway, but the other young man never had a chance. As soon as he stepped through the open door, one of the soldiers blocked his way while the other one grabbed him from behind and twisted his arms toward his back. The cadet's enraged protest was drowned by the sharp commands of the troopers and the commotion that followed as he tried to free himself of their grasp, yet to no avail.

At the same time, the dark clad figure had stepped into Serina's path. She had stopped dead in her tracks certain that he had discovered the truth she had so desperately tried to hide. Barely daring to breathe, she stood frozen in place with her mind frantically seeking a way out of the hopeless situation. Time slowed, seconds turned into minutes and minutes into hours and still there was no solution in sight.

Then suddenly, the moment had passed. With a barely perceptible nod toward Major Larrik, who was waiting patiently behind the young woman, Jerec turned toward the door to follow his troopers as they dragged the young man out of the building.

It took Serina a few ragged breaths to come to terms with her incredible fortune. All her worrying had been for naught. Obviously, the talisman worked just fine. Jerec had not even bothered to check her out a second time. He must have come up completely empty when he had scrutinized her at the mess hall the previous week.

With a deep sigh of relief, she tightened her grip on her satchel and hurried after the departing Inquisitor.

* * *

"Now, that is already much better!" Gil was obviously pleased with the young woman's improvement, contributing it solely to his abilities as instructor. Little did he know, that what he had shown her during the past few days Serina had already learned to implement years earlier during her training with Marc Camon. And she was not about to dissipate his smug ignorance.

"You really are a great teacher," she massaged his ego as she favored him with a grateful and slightly naïve expression after she had collected the training remote and slipped it into her satchel. "Tomorrow is Benduday. If you like, we can meet in the morning right after breakfast."

But when she started to turn away from him to head toward the stairwell, Gil quickly stepped in front of her. "We can do that, but I think it's time for me to collect a little bit of my compensation first."

"Sure." Serina had stopped and was gazing expectantly up into the slightly taller man's face. "What do you have in mind?"

"You'll see," he told her as he took a step toward her. With a confused expression, she backed away, but was quickly barred from retreating any further by the cold hard wall at the corridor's end.

"Come on, you know what I want," he chided her. Then he pressed his body against her, forcing his lips onto hers.

For long moments, Serina struggled feebly against Gil's advances. She refrained from verbal protests. Nobody would hear her this far down in the catacombs. With experienced moves, he unfastened her belt buckle. Then he pulled her tunic apart until the closures on her right shoulder snapped open. After pulling up her shirt up and sliding one of his hands underneath to fondle her breasts, he got to work on zipping her trousers open with the other hand. Her weak struggle had convinced him that he would have an easy time of it with the young woman. He backed away from her just a few inches to pull her pants downward and to start taking off his own uniform.

It was just the opportunity, Serina had been waiting for. Her forceful shove took the older cadet completely by surprise. The same was true for her knee that slammed with all her pent-up anger into his groin. With an anguished outcry, he stumbled backward and crashed to the floor, rolling up in a fetal position as his body shook with pain.

But the young woman did not wait around to find out if he would recover from her attack. Pulling her trousers up with one hand and clasping her tunic together with the other, she hurried past him toward the semi-dark stairwell. The dimness did not slow her down at all. Too often she had descended and climbed these stairs already. Yet, she was quite glad for the small glowrods she had placed at each landing.

The door into the basement opened at her approach. Then she was past and hurried toward the emergency stairwell beside the turbolift. Taking those stairs two at a time brought her up to the first level of the TIE fighter training facility. Another door slid aside as she drew near and with long strides she hurried into the hallway leading toward the exit.

Behind her, a signal indicated that the turbolift had been summoned. With a backward glance toward the indicator panel to discover where it was heading, she rounded the corner into the wide entrance area...

... and ran smack into a familiar black clad figure. Strong hands gripped her upper arms and held her at arm's length, without so much as a word from the eyeless Miraluka. For a moment, Serina was apparently too stunned to speak, but then tears started to rush down her cheeks. "Sir, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bother you. But could you please help me?"

With a stern expression on the cruel face, Jerec let go of her. For a moment, he gazed in the direction of a group of cadets that had stopped on their way to the simulators to observe the commotion. The unwelcome attention had already foiled the purpose of his presence at the training facility. And he could not deny that he felt slightly intrigued by the disheveled appearance he perceived through the Force. After all, was this not the girl who had informed him about the traitorous talk of some of the cadets she had claimed to have overheard a few days prior? "What happened?" he inquired, careful to infuse a good amount of boredom into his voice.

"There is this cadet. He was stalking me a short time back. And then he offered to help me with my blaster training. I had heard some rumors about him. That he's been after some other female cadets before. That he tried to force them to have sex with him. And if they refused, then he reported them and they disappeared without a trace. They never left _Prefsbelt_ , they just vanished. But I didn't believe the rumors. He appeared quite nice at first. But then today..." again a sob shook her whole body "...he tried to rape me downstairs..."

Jerec considered her words. Moral issues were really none of his business. But there were already too many curious eyes watching to just ignore the issue. For an instant, anger welled up in him. The whole situation reeked of diligent planning. He would have to act swiftly now to preserve his reputation and not waste any more of his precious time.

Serina could sense the anger in the Dark Jedi, even without relying on her innate abilities. Had he caught on to her scheming? In the corridor around the corner, a low swoosh indicated the arrival and opening of the turbolift. Anxiously, she waited for the question that would hopefully come next. Heavy footfalls approached from behind the corner, footfalls that she would recognize anywhere after the past few days.

"And who is this cadet?" Jerec finally spoke the words so dearly expected.

The footfalls stopped only a few feet away from her as Gil rounded the corner and drew up short at the sight of the black clad Inquisitor.

"Him!" No longer sobbing, but now seething with anger, Serina pointed her finger straight at the older cadet while at the same time endeavoring to hold her uniform together with her other hand.

If Jerec recognized the young man as the same cadet who had supplied him with names of possible Force sensitives or traitorous elements, he did not let it show. A wink of his hand summoned the stormtroopers guarding the entrance behind him. Within a heartbeat, they had grabbed the young man and placed binders on his hands.

After a last thoughtful consideration of the young woman, the Inquisitor turned on his heels and headed for the exit, his troopers following in his wake. This young cadet bore watching. It was most likely not the last time he had seen her.

As they led him from the facility, Gil cast a final glance in Serina's direction. When the young woman's lips drew back in a bitchy smile, he realized for the first time that the presence of the Dark Jedi was no coincidence at all. He had been set up. Rodus had been more cunning than expected and Felinx had gotten caught in his own kind of trap.


	4. Struggles for Power

**Struggles for Power**

(10 BBY)

Vader knelt on one knee behind the high-backed chair. For long moments, the Emperor continued staring in silence through the huge windows of his throne room at the magnificent skyline of the glowing city below. Abruptly, he swiveled around to face his apprentice. "Do get up, Lord Vader."

The black clad figure obeyed. Should he have reason to be worried? The Emperor's summons had come quite unexpected. A quick consultation with his aides had not provided him with a possible cause for it, either. "Master?"

"A short time ago, I received interesting information regarding a young cadet in our naval forces."

"A cadet, master?"

"Yes, a young woman studying at the Imperial Naval Academy on _Prefsbelt_. Her first field assignment took place aboard the _Exactor_."

"There are many cadets aboard all of our ships, including the _Exactor_ , my master. What is so interesting about this young woman?" Perhaps, he did have reason to worry. Had Palpatine found out about his young protégé? And if he had, how much did he know about her?

"I believe, my apprentice, you do know quite well whom I am referring to, do you not?" The Emperor favored Vader with a dark, warning smile.

"If you are referring to Cadet Wanders, then yes, I do know her." It was of no use to deny what his master already knew.

"Then, Lord Vader, you might want to give me some further details about this special young woman?"

Reluctantly, Vader recounted his first meeting with Serina and how he had discovered and started to train her undeveloped abilities in the Force. "She is now in her fourth term at the Academy. I was planning on presenting her to you once her training was completed."

"As would be expected of you. However," a dark smile spread on the malignant face, "I will see her shortly. You will present her before me already next month. There will be a levee for the youngsters of the upper class. You will get her ready to appear before me along with them."

"Yes, master, she will be there."

As Vader left the Imperial Palace, he carefully considered his next move. It would be too obvious to just pick up Serina from the Academy and bring her to _Imperial Center_. He had been working hard at keeping her connection to him a secret. Captain Cords had been detached to take her to the nearest Imperial Recruitment Office for the entrance exams shortly before the earliest upcoming basic training start at _Prefsbelt_. When he had told the recruiters that she had a powerful sponsor who did not want to be named, everybody had assumed that she was most likely the illegitimate child of a high-ranking officer, possibly Admiral Serfs, since Cords was the admiral's adjutant.

This rumor was additionally underpinned by the endorsement of Grand Moff Tarkin, a favor called upon by Lord Vader personally. "Per chance, I picked up a young woman some weeks back, quite capable and interested in attending the Academy on _Prefsbelt_ ," he had told the governor without revealing his true interests. "But she requires the endorsement of a Moff since she lacks the proper background." Then he had provided Tarkin with Serina's test results. Convinced that she would truly be an asset to the Imperial Navy, the governor had gladly obliged. The endorsement had staunched any further investigation into her background just as Vader had intended it to. The same rumor had also been an easy and plausible explanation, why she was supposed to be assigned to the _Exactor_ for the four-month field training assignments that were included as third and sixth term at the Academy. The fact that somebody had uncovered his interest in the young woman was already unfortunate enough. There was only one way to limit the damage it could cause to his future plans for her.

* * *

"Do you have any idea what that was all about?" Serina required of one of the senior cadets as they left the mess hall toward their quarters.

"Not the slightest," the young dark-haired man walking beside her replied. He had been just as surprised as her to hear the announcement during breakfast. "I've heard of parades before, you know when one of the admirals or moffs comes to visit the academy. But I guess it won't be a parade tomorrow, just a full assembly. Perhaps another of the indoctrination speeches, as if we'd actually need those."

"You're right about that." In a deeper voice, she continued, " _You are part of the greatest navy ever assembled!_ And so on, and so forth. I don't think that anybody who made it to this Academy needs to be indoctrinated anymore." The young man nodded in agreement, so Serina continued, "but it really is kind of strange. I would like to know who will be visiting us. It has to be somebody quite important." She just couldn't shake the bad feeling the announcement had given rise to.

Morning classes had been suspended due to the assembly. The cadets had been ordered to meet with their instructors and soon the various groups, separated by grade and branch of service, were starting to fill the large parade grounds in front of the main building. A hushed silence fell upon the assembled crowd as Headmaster Sauro strode onto the podium.

"Today, one of the Empire's most outstanding personalities has bestowed upon us the great honor of his visit. Most of you have heard about him; some have already had the chance to serve aboard a ship with him. But most of you have probably not had the opportunity yet to meet this man in person. He is highly favored by our beloved Emperor himself. Let us now welcome Lord Vader." He turned toward the right side of the podium and saluted the dark masked figure just ascending the steps, long robes billowing behind him.

"Headmaster," Vader acknowledged the former senator with a slight bow of his head. Then he turned to face the assembled cadets. A low rumble had risen among the crowd at the announcement, but now a deadly silence descended upon everybody. Vader was well known and greatly feared, especially among those who had had the questionable pleasure of already having met him in person.

"Now, Lord Vader's visit is not by chance," the headmaster continued, "but has a distinct purpose in mind. A short time ago, Lord Vader lost a member of his staff due to unfortunate circumstances and is now seeking a replacement. He has submitted to me the requirements for this position and we have selected the ten candidates out of your ranks that qualify the most. Captain Bardus will call out the names now and the candidates will step up front for Lord Vader's personal evaluation."

"He probably killed that member of his staff himself!" somebody behind Serina mumbled. _Most likely_ , Serina thought to herself.

Bardus, a short, stocky man, his dark hair starting to turn gray at the temples, stepped in front of the podium with a datapad and started calling out the names listed thereon.

"Cadet 16-2659789, Iven Haspit." A tall, lanky figure started to leave the ranks of the foremost group of cadets, those that were close to graduation already.

"Cadet 16-4978278, Dash Landers." Another young man from the same group made his way to the front.

The next seven cadets, all of them young men, came from various groups, but Serina noticed that they all had one attribute in common: they all came from groups which majored in communications, just like her. Vader was up to something, that she was suddenly sure of. Her musing was abruptly interrupted when Bardus called out the last name on the list.

"Cadet 20-5314874, Serina Wanders."

For a moment, Serina didn't react at all. Then a poke from her rear neighbor brought her back to reality. Slowly, trying to regain her composure, she made her way to the front to join the other nine cadets already waiting there.

Headmaster Sauro motioned Vader to lead the way as they stepped down from the podium for the individual inspection of the candidates. Captain Bardus accompanied them, providing Vader with additional information on each cadet.

Finally, they stopped in front of Serina.

"Even so Cadet Wanders is only in her fourth term at the academy, she has met your requirements surprisingly well. In communications, she has excelled above her classmates and has already finished one training tour aboard the _Exactor_ in that capacity. Her other grades are also quite high, especially in the social and political fields. She has also received adequate piloting training and has been among the best in her group in the strategic simulations."

After regarding the young woman standing at rigid attention in front of him, Vader turned back to the headmaster. "I am quite pleased with the selection of candidates, headmaster. Let me study their records one more time before finalizing my decision."

"As you wish, Lord Vader." Together they ascended the stairs of the podium. For a long time, Vader diligently studied the information about the cadets on the datapad Bardus had provided him with. Finally, he looked up at Sauro, who was patiently waiting for his decision. "I have chosen the young woman. She appears to be the most promising of them all. Have her join us, then you may dissolve the assembly."

"As you wish, Lord Vader." Sauro stepped up to the hovering microphone to announce: "Lord Vader has made his selection. The candidates except for Cadet Wanders may rejoin their groups. All cadets will return to their regular schedule now. Classes will resume in fifteen minutes."

With long side glances at Serina, some filled with envy, others with pity, the rest of the candidates walked back toward their classmates. But the young woman did not even notice. Her whole attention was riveted on the black clad figure still standing on the podium beside Headmaster Sauro. The bad feeling from the evening before had thickened, weighing her down like a thick wet blanket. Something was definitely wrong! Otherwise, Vader would have never chosen to remove her from the academy in this fashion.

She was still standing at attention when the headmaster and Vader left the podium.

"Cadet," Captain Bardus motioned her to fall into step beside him behind Sauro and the Sith Lord. In silence, they walked toward the main building.

When they had entered the headmaster's office, Vader turned to Sauro. "I require a few moments alone with Cadet Wanders for a final evaluation."

"As you wish, Lord Vader." Without questioning Vader's orders, the headmaster and his aide left the spacious room.

"Master, what is wrong?" Serina gazed up intently at the hideous mask.

"Apparently, somebody discovered your connection to me on board the _Exactor_ during your assignment a few weeks back. Whoever it was - I suspect another cadet - passed this information on to some relative, who in turn passed it on to Palpatine trying to discredit me through it, obviously to further his own standing with the Emperor." Serina could sense how seething with rage Vader was regarding this development. Whoever had caused this situation was certainly doomed, once Vader found out their identity. "The Emperor summoned me a few days ago, demanding further details about you. And he has ordered me to present you to him at a levee for the upper class next month."

"But my training isn't complete yet!" Serina objected.

"True," Vader admitted, "but if the Emperor wants to see you now, we have no choice in this matter. That's why I'm taking you to _Imperial Center_ with me already at this time. We will have one and a half months to get you ready for the levee."

"Will I be able to finish the academy afterward?" Serina inquired.

"That's why I have chosen to make you officially my aide. Your time with me will count as field training. You will continue your academic studies during that time and return to the academy for the term finals and, of course, for the exit finals as well. Once you pass those, you'll graduate and receive your commission just as any of the other cadets. However," the Dark Lord confirmed her thought from just a few moments earlier, "first we will have to locate and eliminate those, who caused all this trouble. Do you have any idea which cadet might be responsible?"

A grim expression appeared on Serina's face. "Oh, yes, I think I've got a pretty good guess at that." Slowly, she started to recount an occurrence from a little over two weeks prior, right after her assignment on the _Exactor_.

 _Serina hadn't liked John Rogards from the first day she had met him, right at the start of her second term at the academy. The stocky young man had an arrogant attitude, not only toward her but toward all of the other cadets in their group. Perhaps it had been his upbringing. Once he had told them that one of his uncles held a high position in the Imperial Navy, that he was a systems admiral in charge of a small group of Star Destroyers. And Rogards intended on following in his uncle's footsteps. The methods he employed in his quest were ruthless, to say the least. Whenever he had a chance to run another cadet down, he took it._

 _She might have been able to change his attitude toward her using the Force in the ways Tantra had taught her, but her run-in with Jerec during her first term had confirmed the imperative of heeding her master's orders. There was no telling when he or any of the other Inquisitors would show up the next time._

 _So Serina had tried her best to ignore Rogards' attitude and behavior in order to not give rise to any kind of trouble with him. Most of the time, she had been successful. Once, however, she had gotten into a fierce argument with him during a midterm battle simulation. In the end, her suggested strategy had saved the day for their group, but Rogards had vowed to make her pay for embarrassing him in front of their instructors, especially since he couldn't think of anything worse than being outsmarted by a woman. From that day on, he had started to watch her closely. Serina had been aware of this, but she had figured he would get tired of his little game sooner or later. But obviously, he hadn't._

 _Somehow, he had managed to get assigned to the_ Exactor _, Vader's flagship, just like herself. Serina had been uncomfortable during the shuttle trip that brought them to their field assignment, but once on board, she had arranged to get on a different work shift than Rogards. Therefore, she hadn't seen much of him during their four-month stay._

 _And she hadn't been sorry about it either. Besides, Vader had arrived only a day after them and from then on, she didn't have much time left to worry about the pestering little creep. Her off-shifts had been filled with intensive training under Vader's tutelage. She had barely found enough time to sleep and her greatest concern had been to get to and return from Vader's chambers unnoticed. Since she was known to be a loner by most of the other cadets aboard the_ Exactor _, nobody had asked any questions about her whereabouts during her spare time._

 _The four months had soon been over and when Rogards had sneered at her openly on the trip back to_ Prefsbelt _, she had gotten a distinct feeling that he was up to something. And he hadn't waited long to confront her. The very next evening, he had cornered her up in the sim-training center, where Serina had been putting in some extra hours to improve her piloting skills. The center had been deserted since it had been transfer time and already shortly after midnight._

 _She had sensed his presence even before getting out of the sim-unit, but there had been no way to avoid him. She could still see his gloating face hovering above her as she pulled herself slowly out of the simulator. "So, what do you want?" she had tried to sound casual and disinterested, while inside her anger was starting to rise. She had had just about enough of this guy. Although Vader had ordered her to not use her abilities yet in order to draw no undue attention, she was getting very close to letting this arrogant little imp get a taste of her true powers._

 _"Well, well," he had sneered at her. "Whom do we have here? Isn't it our little nice goody-good girl? Now, who would believe me if I told them that she isn't so innocent after all? That she has some strange friends and supporters. But oh, I guess, nobody is supposed to find out about who is so interested in this little goody-good girl, now isn't that so?"_

 _The expression on his face had made Serina want to just punch him right into it. Barely, she had controlled herself. She had to find out what he had seen. "What in the world are you talking about? I've got no strange friends or supporters. Did your arrogance finally manage to fry the last bit of your lousy little brains?" With a contemptuous expression on her face she had tried to push past him toward the exit, but he had held her back._

 _"You can deny everything, but I know what I have seen. And I'm going to make you pay for that little power play you pulled on me during that battle simulation. You mark my words: you're going to be really sorry you tried to outdo me." His face had taken on the expression of a dangerous, mean old dog, ready to chew her head off if she didn't watch out._

 _She had returned his glare with a cold, dangerous stare of her own. "I don't know what you think you've seen. But whatever it was, I can only warn you. If you try to hurt me in any way or form, it is_ you _who will be very sorry indeed." After a last menacing stare into his eyes, Serina had given him a forceful shove and had stalked out of the room._

"He hasn't bothered me again after that night, master, but I'm sure he is the one that caused us all this trouble."

"I agree," Vader replied, "and I have met Admiral Rogards before. As a matter of fact, I know he has been trying to gain more influence with the Emperor lately. But I know just how to take care of him."

Although Serina did not try to read Vader's thoughts, she realized quite well that Admiral Rogards would not get another chance to challenge the Dark Lord's standing with Palpatine.

"Perhaps, I should take care of his nephew while I'm still on _Prefsbelt_. We will have to find out if he told anybody else about what he observed on the _Exactor_."

"Master," Serina addressed the Sith Lord, "I would like to ask you to leave this little creep to me. I warned him about trying to go against me in any way or form. And I already have a plan to make him pay for causing all this trouble."

"You are aware that he cannot be allowed to live after what he found out about you?" Vader gazed down at the young woman in front of him.

"Oh, my plan includes his ultimate demise, but first I want to make him suffer for the way he has treated me and others in the past year." Serina's face reflected a grim meanness that Vader hadn't encountered in her before. As she started to lay out her plan before him, he was getting more pleased by the minute.

"Are you sure you want to wait until after the levee?" he asked her in the end.

"Yes, master. It will heighten his feeling of success and thus lower his defenses. He will start thinking that my threat was only idle and that I'm not really able to make it come true. His shock will be even greater when he finally realizes that I've just been biding my time."

"Very well, so be it then. Return now to your quarters and pack your things. We will be leaving in one standard hour."

After Serina had left the room, Vader's gaze followed the slender figure as she made her way toward the housing on the far side of the parade field. Her mean plan had come as a surprise to him. During her last stay on the _Exactor_ he had tried to find emotions in her that would grant her more permanent access to the dark side. But nothing had been strong enough to provide that access for more than a few moments. Perhaps, this situation would finally furnish a more incessant solution to this issue. It would be a pleasure to watch her put her plan into action.

* * *

It felt strange to walk down the long, deserted hallways toward her quarters. All the other cadets were still in class, but soon they would return for the lunch break.

Serina took the small duffel bag from her locker and started packing her few belongings into it. She decided to stay in her dress-uniform for the trip to _Imperial Center_. The other uniforms she would leave behind, after all, she would hardly need them for the upcoming occasion. Her lightsaber and some of her training clothes were still on the _Exactor_ , but certainly, Vader would provide her with adequate replacements.

Soon a loud bell indicated that the lunch break had started. Serina was just taking a last look in the full-length mirror when her roommate Pat arrived.

"Whoa, I still can hardly believe it!" she exclaimed. "You must be the luckiest person in the galaxy. Aide to Lord Vader himself! You should have seen the faces of the other nine guys. Boy, were some of them jealous! It's a wonder they didn't turn green right on the spot there."

"To be honest," Serina replied, "I don't really know why he picked me. After all, it's already hard for a woman in the Navy; you'd think it even harder to be accepted as Lord Vader's aide. But I guess he must have his reasons."

"I guess he does," a voice from the door interrupted their conversation. John Rogards was leaning against the doorframe, a sneering expression on his face. "So, you really don't know why he picked you? Now, isn't that really funny? Our little goody-good girl picked as aide for the Dark Lord himself. What in the galaxy could have made him choose her?"

Serina gave him a warning stare. "I don't know what you are talking about. I guess my records spoke for me; that must be why he picked me. Now get out of my way. I don't want to be late because of you little creep." She forcefully pushed her way past Rogards, her roommate following close behind. Together, they walked toward the administrative offices.

"Will you be coming back to finish the academy?" Pat asked her as they were crossing the large parade field.

"I'm supposed to, that's what Lord Vader told me. My time with him will be considered field training, but I will have to attend the academy at least for the term finals to be able to graduate. So, keep my bed available. And keep away from that creep Rogards. I just hope he'll get his dues one of these days!"

Pat could only agree wholeheartedly. Nobody liked Rogards.

"Well, so long then. I got to get back to class soon. You take care of yourself."

After a short hug, Pat turned around to head for the mess hall, while Serina continued toward the landing field outside of the main building.

Vader's shuttle was already preparing for lift-off when she arrived. Headmaster Sauro and the Dark Lord were standing at the foot of the lowered entry ramp. With an accurate salute to her superior, Serina stepped up to them.

"Cadet Wanders, Lord Vader is placing high expectations on your performance. Always remember, as long as you are serving him you are also representing our Academy. I expect you to not let us down."

"No, Sir," Serina replied. "You can count on me, Sir. I will serve Lord Vader to the best of my abilities."

"Good, Cadet, make it so." Then the headmaster turned to the Sith Lord. "Lord Vader, if you will excuse me now."

"Headmaster," with a dismissive nod toward Sauro, Vader turned and started to ascend the ramp leading into the shuttle. Serina slung her duffle bag back over her shoulder and followed.

At the top of the ramp, she cast a last glance back at the impressive Castle Pradeux, located at the center of the academy grounds. How much time would pass before she saw it again? Brushing aside her regrets at having to leave so prematurely, she turned and boarded the shuttle.


	5. Welcome to the Capital

**Welcome to the Capital**

(10 BBY)

 _Coruscant_! Or _Imperial Center_ as it had been dubbed shortly after the proclamation of the Empire nine years prior. Not all the holograms in the net could have prepared Serina for the magnificence of the _Imperial City_. The first sun rays of the early morning were reflected off the towering monolithic structures all over the surface, turning the whole city into one huge Corusca gem. Traffic, having slowed down only marginally during the night hours, was just starting to reach its morning peak as the Lambda-class shuttle made its way toward one of the largest castles in the vicinity.

Trying hard to not let her face show how utterly the majestic monuments and dazzling lights had overwhelmed her, Serina cast a side glance at the Dark Lord beside her. He had not spoken since they had left _Prefsbelt_. _No use asking him about the highlights of the city_ , she thought to herself. She had learned quickly that he did not appreciate the typical human small talk. For him, it was just a waste of time and energy.

They were just passing over Monument Plaza as the perhaps largest structure on the surface of any planet in the galaxy became visible ahead of them: The Imperial Palace.

"I have appointed one of my aides to assist you in purchasing appropriate clothing and to instruct you about etiquette at the Emperor's court. You have still much to learn before I can present you to him."

Serina looked down at her dress uniform. Vader was right. No matter how suitable for service in the Navy her uniform was, she didn't consider it appropriate to appear in before the most powerful man in the galaxy; perhaps at a parade, but surely not at a levee. She needed a new wardrobe and that quickly.

Forgetting for a moment the exhibition of awesome beauty displayed below them, her thoughts turned to the main purpose of their visit to the seat of the Imperial Government. To be presented to the Emperor was a thought that frightened Serina more than she was willing to admit. Though she felt her training had advanced sufficiently to please her Dark Lord, she felt not at all prepared enough to meet Vader's own dreaded master. Although Vader had never explicitly told her, yet deep inside she had always known who and what the Emperor truly was. With the Sith, there were always two, a master and an apprentice. And she was definitely not an apprentice as far as the Sith way was concerned. But Vader's own feelings had confirmed what she had believed since her vision such a long time ago. Throughout the year and a half that had passed since becoming his student, she had never sensed fear of anything or anyone in the Dark Lord. She had already started to consider him far beyond such base emotions. And yet, she had felt a certain dread, as strange as it had seemed to her, in Vader's dark soul as he told her about the Emperor's orders. Now she was absolutely convinced: Palpatine himself was the Sith master and Vader his apprentice. It was the only explanation possible.

"The levee will take place next month at the Imperial Palace. It seems the Emperor wants to personally ascertain himself of your progress and abilities. If you please him, you will be publicly acknowledged by him, if not ..."

Vader did not have to expound on what would happen in the latter case. The emotions surfacing in him told her enough. Even he was worried about the consequences of his master's disapproval, but hardly for her sake! If he was ordered to by the Emperor, he would most certainly end her life without any remorse. But he was apparently troubled by whatever repercussions that situation might cause for himself. Serina marveled at how powerful Palpatine had to be to instill such dread in the mighty Sith Lord. And she would be under the Emperor's scrutiny? Her stomach knotted up already just thinking about it.

The shuttle had already decelerated and was gliding along far above the deep chasms that separated the lumbering structures of the magnificent city, chasms so deep that sunlight would never touch their bottom. Now it slowed down even more as huge blast gates moved upward to reveal the landing bay at the upper end of Vader's castle. Inside, a row of his personal staff and a detail of stormtroopers were awaiting their arrival.

When the shuttle finally settled down, Vader got up and moved toward the exit hatch. Serina pulled the hood of the dark robe, Vader had provided for her, deep into her face as she followed him at a leisurely pace. Remaining unknown had its benefits, especially when working for the Empire. It was much easier to gain somebody's trust as long as they didn't associate her with her dark master. That had been one of Vader's first lessons.

* * *

The rooms assigned to her were huge with an exquisite view of the city below, but they were bare of any personal touch. No pictures decorated the walls, the furniture, though made of a dark lush wood, reflected only slightly on the immense wealth Vader commanded. She had been told that she could change the rooms in any way she liked and she was determined to do exactly that.

Though the Dark Lord was hard and quick to punish those that failed him, he could be quite generous toward those who served him well. The credits on her own account had increased considerably during the past year, as her skills had developed under his tutelage. Though she did not crave the wealth her position as his aide would entail, she was not immune to some of the pleasures it would afford her. Pleasures she had not had the money to indulge in during the time before meeting Vader and the past year at the academy hadn't provided her with many opportunities for them either.

After a long hot shower, she was just getting dressed again as the door opened to admit her master. A slender, dark-haired woman, slightly taller than herself, followed him into the room.

"This is Caaroq," he introduced her. "Caaroq has been in my service for quite some time now and she knows the city as well as the customs at court. She will be your instructor during the coming weeks to prepare you for your meeting with the Emperor. I have worked out a schedule for you. Your training will start the day after tomorrow, once you are settled in." With a nod in Caaroq's direction, he strode from the room.

Serina felt the other woman's appraising glance upon her as she finished combing her hair. Caaroq was wearing the same clothing as she had seen on the other staff members in the hangar, but it could not hide the well-trained body underneath. She appeared to be at the most ten years older than herself, but one look into her eyes made Serina realize quickly that this woman was not to be underestimated. The feeling of confidence she had sensed in Vader when he had introduced her only served to heighten that impression.

Caaroq's thoughts were along similar lines as she observed the young woman, really no more than a girl, perhaps sixteen, seventeen years old, Although most people would have reckoned her somewhat closer to twenty. She appeared sort of shy and insecure, nearly lost in the large room. What did Lord Vader see in her? There had to be more to this girl than met the eye, otherwise, the Emperor would surely not grant her an audience. Caaroq decided to keep a close watch on Serina; perhaps she could find out what abilities lay hidden behind her almost innocent face.

* * *

Going shopping in the _Imperial City_ was an adventure in itself, Serina thought while they were moving from store to store. The sheer overwhelming variety of items offered made choosing hard work. She was glad for Caaroq's advice, offered whenever she was starting to despair. They had been at it for nearly eight hours and the sun was already setting with a gorgeous display of colors.

"Let us get something to eat," Caaroq admonished her while approaching a nice-looking tavern set between two large department stores on one of the upper levels of the city. The waiter seemed to know Caaroq and led them to one of the few vacant tables along the long window front.

With a sigh, Serina lowered herself into the form-fitting chair. "Please order something for me, I have not the slightest idea about the food here and I'm just tired of making decisions." Her voice reflected the exhaustion she felt. An hour of lightsaber training with the training droid was preferable anytime over all this running around! And they had not even accomplished half of what they had set out to do! They would have to come back the following day to get the rest done.

While Caaroq was still busy selecting dinner for them, Serina resorted to a quick breathing exercise to draw on the Force for replenishment. It was not advisable to show any signs of weakness in the presence of the woman across from her.

After an extensive, delicious dinner, one of Vader's shuttles picked them up and brought them back to the castle. The items purchased during the day had already been delivered and a multitude of boxes and bags were cluttering Serina's rooms. Caaroq ordered one of the servants to unpack and store away everything while she and Serina put together a plan for the next day. There was still much to be accomplished, but at least Serina had a better idea now of what style she preferred. It would make things a little easier the following day.

* * *

Caaroq was still not sure what to make of this young girl when she entered Serina's rooms the next morning. Serina was already all set to go, now dressed in one of the outfits she had newly purchased. It emphasized her slender figure while at the same time making her look much more mature.

Caaroq had been quite amazed at the speed with which Serina had recovered from her exhaustion the previous day. By the time, they had returned to the castle Serina had bristled again with energy while Caaroq herself had been glad to retire to her quarters.

Lord Vader had been summoned by the Emperor early in the morning and she didn't expect him to return until the evening.

Traffic was already quite heavy as their shuttle descended toward Monument Plaza. Caaroq had agreed with Serina to show her some highlights of the city before resuming their shopping spree. Their first stop was the Galactic Museum located across from the Imperial Palace. Not even a whole week would provide enough time to look at all the exhibits it contained, so they had decided to take only a quick general tour through the most important levels of the huge building.

Afterwards, they headed out to the rim of the plaza below, where several of the most exclusive stores were located. It would be their main task today to find an appropriate outfit for presenting Serina at the levee.

When they entered the first store, Serina felt immediately out of place. The glances the salespersons and the other customers cast her way, made her feel like a granite slug under the scrutinizing eyes of a hawk bat. Then they turned away again as if she didn't even exist anymore and none of the salespersons moved to wait on her. A year, even some months ago, she would have resigned and left, but she had learned much since. These people didn't know her, but they realized she wasn't one of them. Therefore, they looked down on her. They were just asking to be taught some respect.

With Caaroq at her side, she stepped up to the counter. Concentrating on the anger she felt over their condescension, she reached out for the Force, just as Vader had shown her. Letting it flow through her, she projected a feeling of great dread into the hearts of those in the room. Suddenly, several of the nearby customers turned to exit the store hurriedly, nearly tripping over their own feet in the process. A satisfied smirk appeared on Serina's face. Now that was more like it. With sweetness in her voice that stood in stark contrast to her previous action, she addressed the shaking saleswoman behind the counter.

"I would like you to show me a selection of your dresses. They should be exquisite enough to be worn at the Emperor's court."

"I... I... if you would please follow me." The woman quickly led them to one of the private changing rooms in the far back of the store. Serina was asked to step up to the measuring unit at the rear of the small room, then the woman left.

A look at Caaroq's stunned face caused Serina to start laughing. "You look like you've seen a ghost. This was quite some fun, wasn't it? Those aristocrats probably never ran that fast before."

Caaroq shook her head. "How did you do that?" Serina only smiled back at her.

Caaroq had wanted to warn her about what they would most likely be facing at the store. The upper class of aristocrats and high placed bureaucrats was known for their treatment of those they felt below their level. She had expected Serina to back down under the looks they had given her and had been prepared to evoke Lord Vader's name to get the service they required. The fact that Serina had not turned to leave caused her respect for the young woman to rise drastically. The dread that had suddenly fallen upon the whole store, had, though not even directed at her, caused her to be reminded of the effect Vader's presence had upon people. Could it possibly be that this innocent looking girl had similar powers at her command as the Dark Lord himself? It would surely explain a lot.

* * *

The rest of the day, Caaroq remained quite silent and thoughtful, while Serina carried more and more of their conversation. It was as if an unseen barrier had broken allowing a totally different person to emerge. Nothing was left of the insecurity, even shyness she had perceived in the young woman the day before. They had been able to complete their purchases much earlier than anticipated, mostly due to Serina's swift action at the store, so they had some time left to linger at one of the ice-cream parlors overlooking Monument Plaza.

The sight was simply gorgeous. Far below them, vehicles crawled along the crowded passage ways like ants on the way back to their nests. The rays of the slowly setting sun were turning the upper portions of the majestic structures around the Plaza into golden needles against the darkening sky. An upward glance brought an immense skyhook - Caaroq had identified it for Serina as the Emperor's - into view.

Serina thought back to _Taanab_ , the planet she had grown up on. She had always considered life there as backward but one look at the city around her made her realize how much _she_ had changed during the past years. Though _Taanab_ had been the only home she had ever known, she could not imagine herself returning to live there anymore. It would bore her to death. This here was life: exciting, challenging, invigorating.

Though there was still a great amount of fear in her heart regarding the meeting with the Emperor, this day's experience had helped to provide her with some inner confidence. She would survive his scrutiny. And after that ... She could hardly wait to find out what plans Lord Vader had in store for her future.


	6. An Impossible Task?

**An Impossible Task!?**

(10 BBY)

The following days and weeks passed by quickly. Lord Vader had set up a stringent plan for her training. After a quick breakfast early in the morning, she was to join him for some meditation as well as other basic exercises. This would last about an hour to be followed immediately by a teaching session about proper protocol and the order of the Emperor's court. Caaroq would show her some recordings of past levees, pointing out the various attendees and their relationship to the Emperor and the government in general. Serina had to learn how to approach the throne properly, how to react to the various possible requests the Emperor might direct at her. She had to practice the typical small-talk everybody engaged in during these events and many other things necessary to be considered part of the crowd. After lunch, Vader had set aside some of her time for a more physical training, much like the rigorous exercises she had participated in on board of his Star Destroyer. Then another session with Caaroq followed, who was giving her an insight into how the Imperial government functioned and who held which position of power.

Most of these people Serina had not had any dealings with before. The only higher officials, she had had any kind of contact with during the previous year, had been military commanders, even some generals and admirals of the Imperial Navy during her months at the Academy. She had also met some local governors while accompanying Vader on inspection tours as part of his staff during her training mission on the _Exactor_ , but those people had been small fish in comparison. The people she would have to deal with now were the elite of the galaxy, senators, moffs, grand admirals and the likes. They were, besides the Emperor and Vader, the most powerful persons in the known galaxy.

Serina would have to walk a very circumspect path among them. She was to gain their acceptance, yet without revealing her true abilities. Although Vader would have to appear as her commanding officer, the true nature of their connection would have to remain a secret. Therefore, Serina would have to be exceedingly careful of what she said and to whom she said it.

After the quite strenuous time with Caaroq, the schedule allowed for some free time including a short break for dinner, then another training session closed off the day, this one especially for fighting technics. The contents of this last session changed from day to day. Sometimes, Caaroq would practice with her various technics for hand to hand combat, at other times Vader would allow her to train with one of his special holodroids. Some evenings he even took time to spar with her himself.

What she enjoyed the most, however, was that, after about a week at the castle, Vader had ordered the installation of a flight simulator in one of the spare training rooms, a model like the ones she had used aboard his flagship and at the academy. Although Serina would have preferred to fly a real TIE in an actual battle simulation this would have to do for the time being.

So Caaroq found her quite frequently still in the simulator hours past the scheduled training session. The more she taught and watched this young woman, the more her respect for Serina's abilities grew. Especially the training sessions with Lord Vader himself had sparked her interest. At first, she had expected him to blatantly hold back in his fighting in order to not hurt the young woman. She quickly discovered that, though he was certainly not using his full strength, yet much more of it than she had expected. Though he withdrew in situations where he would have seriously hurt Serina - this was much easier for him since Serina's body was not protected by heavy body armor as he was - yet he did not hesitate to inflict minor wounds on her. She also noticed that Serina was quite capable of standing her ground in the training fights with him. A few times Serina had even managed, through some obviously unexpected moves, to get through his defenses and inflict minor damage to his armor.

As the weeks passed by, the relationship between Caaroq and Serina developed into an easy comradeship, even a beginning friendship. Although Serina's growing powers frightened Caaroq, she had noticed that the young woman only seldom used them to further her own interests. To Caaroq it appeared that Serina had still preserved some of her original innocence despite her close contact with Lord Vader. She showed no desire to gain power over others, but she had proved to be willing to do anything her master required of her as long as he allowed her to stay with him.

This was still a marvel to Caaroq. Loyalty in the Empire was usually based on two things, fear or a promise for more power or both. Even she felt a great dread in Vader's presence, knowing well how swiftly he rid himself of those that failed him. But Serina evinced no fear of the Dark Lord; an observation confirmed again and again by the way Serina talked to him. Though her attitude reflected her deep respect for him as well as something else - Caaroq had not been able to determine yet what it was -, fear was not a motivating factor in Serina's service to her master.

* * *

The day of the levee was inevitably drawing closer. The attire they had chosen for the occasion had met Vader's approval and he was also quite satisfied with Serina's progress regarding protocol at court. All that could have been done to prepare her for her appearance before the Emperor had been accomplished. He could only hope his master would see the same potential in her that he did. Should the Emperor desire to punish him for not telling him about her by ordering him to kill her, he would most certainly obey, however, it would be a pity to see the effort of the past year go to waste.

The one aspect that caused some concern with him what the fact, that Serina had not yet found the right access to the dark side. None of the emotions they had dredged up – not even the painful loss of her parents – had been strong enough to allow her to gain that access for more than a short moment. The pain he inflicted on her during lightsaber training caused only surges of anger which she used to improve her fighting skills. But the emotion didn't linger either. And she had learned to draw from his own emotions of rage or anger, but that only worked when he was close by.

Though he had been instructing her now effectively for about six months - the rest of the time, that had passed since he had taken her on as his newest apprentice, she had spent at the academy - he still didn't understand why she had so willingly and without any reservations accepted his offer to train her. Of course, had she not done so, he would have eliminated her on _Circarpous IV_. Though she was certainly aware of that fact, it apparently hadn't had any influence on her decision. The emotions she showed when alone with him were still a mystery to him. There had never been fear, just her great desire to learn from him. He had filled her instinctive need for a teacher and master, but there were other emotions as well, desires directed at him, that he did not or perhaps did not want to understand.

Perhaps the Emperor would know of a different way to open the dark side up for her more permanently. It would make her even more useful to their cause. But he did not really want her to gain too much power and become a threat to his own position. In that case, he would have to eliminate her himself. Not that he expected that to ever happen.

Standing at the entrance to Serina's rooms, he beheld the two women inside. "We will leave in fifteen minutes," he informed them.

Caaroq looked up from some final adjustments to Serina's outfit. "She will be ready on time, Lord Vader. We are nearly finished."

Vader took a long look at the young woman he was to present to the Emperor this evening. Thinking back at the girl he had picked up on _Circarpous IV_ a seemingly long time ago, he became aware of the changes she had gone through. Though her face had retained much of its innocent expression, she had matured into a person who seemed to know what she wanted and who knew that she had the means to get it, too. Nothing was left of the insecurity that had still plagued her during her first months with him. It was gone as was her naiveté toward the events in the galaxy. She had seen much of what was going on behind the scenes, the intrigues and power struggles, the assassinations, and false accusations against the innocent. And she had not shrunk back but had grown with the additional knowledge. She was truly worthy of the plans he had for her, a willing and powerful tool in his hands.

Caaroq finally stepped back and regarded the woman in front of her. She might not have had the upbringing of a princess as most of the other girls at tonight's levee would have had, but she would not have to hide behind Vader either. Caaroq was quite pleased with the results of her work.

The gown they had decided on was made of a very special shimmer silk. Though it was actually of a dark blue, the color appeared to change with each movement. It gave the impression of flowing water, reflecting the overhead lights as waves did sunlight.

Since Serina found no great pleasure in wearing jewelry, they had only chosen a silvery necklace studded with blue stones to match the color of the dress. To keep her hidden from nosy eyes on her way to the palace, a white, hooded robe completed her attire.

Together they stepped up to the black clad figure at the door and looked up at him.

"Come along." Serina nodded and as Vader headed for the shuttle hangar she turned to Caaroq and squeezed her hands quickly. "Thank you for all you've done for me during the past weeks, I really appreciate it." Then she turned and hurried after Vader.

* * *

Most of the other guests had arrived already when their shuttle descended upon the landing platform in front of the Imperial Palace. The Dark Lord of the Sith walked down the ramp with purposeful strides, Serina following in his wake. The red robed Royal Guards at the huge doors leading into the palace quickly stepped aside as Vader approached. His powers were well known, so nobody dared to get in his way unless ordered to. They barely noticed the small, white robed figure that hurried along hidden well behind his tall frame. Inside, a turbolift, designed to transport dozens of people on each trip, carried them up to the highest level of the tower.

"Stay close behind me until we reach the waiting area before the throne room. Then wait there, until you're called."

"As you wish, master." Serina had gone over the protocol for this kind of event with Caaroq quite diligently. Vader would approach the Emperor first alone to inform him of her presence, then, if the Emperor so wished, she would be ordered to approach the throne. Until that moment, Caaroq had advised her to remain as inconspicuous as possible.

The vast, pillared hall just outside of the throne room was filled with an immense crowd of people. Senators and governors of a multitude of planets mingled with the members of the ancient, aristocratic houses. There were the sons and daughters of the bureaucrats as well as those of the noble families, many of them barely older than Serina, some even younger. Most of them had been brought by their parents to this levee to be presented to the Emperor and to find them a suitable match, enabling their parents to form new alliances and strengthen their hold on power.

The effect, Vader's presence had on those present, was quite remarkable. Nobody wanted to stay close to him as he passed through the crowd. Serina smiled to herself as she thought of what it must have looked like from above. The crowd moved apart in front of them giving them a wide berth to pass through while it closed again quickly behind them. From above it must have looked like a circle of empty space with the Dark Lord at the middle flowing through a huge bed of multicolored flowers.

Finally, they reached the far end of the hall. Steps led down into the throne room proper. In the far end of the private chamber, the Emperor was seated on his throne. A small staircase led up to the platform upon which it was elevated above the auditorium below. A line of at least thirty people had formed some feet away from the bottom of the steps. For a moment, Vader paused at the entrance giving Serina a chance to watch the proceedings.

At a wave of the Emperor, the next group at the forefront of the line would approach. Mostly it was a father with his daughter or son, who would then kneel down at the bottom of the steps. At another wave, the father would get up and introduce his child to the Emperor. The next command would cause the boy or girl to get up as well and become the subject of the Emperor's scrutiny until he dismissed them both. With another deep bow, they would leave and rejoin the crowd in the hall outside.

The length of the line seemed to always stay the same as for each parent-child group that was finished and moved away a new one would queue up.

When yet another father with his well-groomed son was dismissed by the Emperor, Vader descended the stairs leading down into the throne room and strode to the very front of the line. Nobody dared to rebuke him for his impudence, the father who had just started to leave the line with his daughter stepping quickly back into it.

Vader knelt at the bottom of the stairs and waited. He did not have long to wait.

"Do get up, Lord Vader."

He obeyed.

"So, you have brought the young woman as I have commanded?"

"Yes, master. She is waiting outside."

"Then do bring her in. I hope she meets my expectations."

"I am certain she will, master." Vader was very careful to not let any of his concerns regarding the imminent appraisal of his student be discernable to the malignant ruler.

He turned toward the entrance and motioned for Serina to join him. At the foot of the stairs, she knelt down beside her Dark Lord in the way Caaroq her taught her, still hidden beneath her white flowing robe. Although she had not even gotten one glimpse yet at the Emperor's face, she felt his intense scrutiny upon her. Not only did he examine her with his eyes like he had the others, but also through the Force, leaving her without a doubt as to him being the Sith Master of her Dark Lord as she had always reckoned.

The young woman had the feeling of long cold fingers reaching into her mind, searching her down to the very core of her being, sifting through her thoughts, memories, and intentions, evaluating her abilities and weaknesses. Although she had been careful to not raise any barriers in her mind, the experience was more painful than she had imagined. It was a cold burning sensation that left her mind throbbing and yet numb at the same time.

Quickly, it became obvious to the Emperor, why Vader had tried to keep him from finding out about the young woman and why he had been quite reluctant to present her to him once the connection had been revealed. The young woman had a strong connection to the Force reaching back to her earliest childhood. Had she been found by the Jedi at an early age, they would have certainly trained her to become one of them. But she had escaped that fate due to her agricultural home planet. Vader had been able to teach her some use of the Force, but due to her nature as a quite even-tempered being, she was most of the time limited to the basic abilities of the light side. Actually, the Jedi would have been quite pleased with her development. But Vader wasn't and neither was he. If she was to truly be of any use to them, she would have to develop a desire to use the dark side. Once she achieved that, there would be no turning back. The dark side, once embraced, was quite addictive and dominating.

But how to accomplish that, when hatred, anger or fear could not be used? The Emperor was certain that everybody had some emotions strong enough to provide permanent access to the dark side. He just had to determine which one would become the girl's downfall. As he sifted further through her memories, he came across a vision she had seen through the Force some years prior. He was quickly able to place it: the fight between his then new apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, and Anakin's old master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, on the volcanic planet _Mustafar_ , up to the moment, when he had saved the badly burned, mutilated young man and taken him away to be treated at the Recon Center on _Imperial Center_. And Serina had arrived at the right conclusion once he had introduced Vader as his new right-hand man some weeks later. She knew who her master had once been. She even had some idea of what was behind the mask and suit, had seen the mangled body in her vision.

And then he realized one more aspect of that memory: Serina had formed an emotional bond with the object of her vision. First, she had felt pity for him for getting hurt so badly. But her compassion had quickly turned into fascination at his survival and him becoming the powerful Sith Lord he now was. As she had matured, that feeling had eventually turned into some form of infatuation. Upon meeting him on _Circarpous IV_ , it was only a small step from infatuation to strong affections. She admired him, and, even more than that, desired him on a quite physical level, a desire which had been unrequited so far.

He was certain that Vader was quite oblivious to those feelings in the young woman. Since the death of Padmé, his wife, and due to his bodily condition, he had been consumed with hatred and anger, leaving no room for sexual needs or any desire for a lover. And even the Emperor was not certain if a physical relationship would still be possible for his apprentice. The burns had been quite severe, most of his skin had been fused with his clothing and had to be replaced, even some of the organs, besides the limbs he had lost. It would be worth a try, though.

Love was an emotion, just as strong as hatred and fear. How easily did love turn to hate! And love and lust were just as much connected as fear and anger. Although he had never discussed this aspect of the Force with his apprentice, a burning, all-consuming love paired with enough physical desire could lead to the dark side just as easily as hatred born of loss and betrayal. Actually, Vader should be the one to know this firsthand. It had been his own passion for Padmé that had seduced him to the dark side. But the Emperor knew that was a memory his apprentice did his best to suppress. Now, if Serina's feelings for Vader could be harnessed properly, she would be willing to fulfill any task he'd lay before her. And she would have the power to accomplish it, as well.

The Emperor smiled to himself. There were two further aspects to this matter. For one, he was only too well aware of the fact that his apprentice dearly missed a companion. Once he had told him, shortly after Padmé's death, that he was married to the Order of the Sith now, that he needed no other companion. But unlike other Jedi, Anakin had grown up for nine years with the love of and for his mother. When she had been killed, he had filled that void with the love for his wife to be. With Padmé dead, not even the powers of the dark side were strong enough to completely substitute for the companionship he craved. A sexual relationship with the young woman might provide a strong enough distraction from that need. However, this would hold true only as long as Vader did not develop any attachment to her, but continued to consider her a tool to be used. Otherwise, he would have to order him to eliminate her. Attachments were for the Sith just as undesirable as they had been for the Jedi, even if the reasoning behind the disapprobation was a totally different one.

And secondly, he hadn't really bargained for Vader's failure on _Mustafar_ and for the consequences his apprentice had to live with daily due to it. Though the limitations, caused by the lost limbs and the suit he had to wear, had also ensured that his apprentice would most likely never achieve a mastery of the dark side sufficient enough to turn on his master, yet he had started to search for a more suitable replacement almost immediately after those events. The most obvious choice would have been the child, Padmé had been carrying, but it had apparently died with its mother. At least, there had been no evidence at all to the contrary within the past eight years. If a relationship with the young woman would beget another child, it might even be stronger in the Force than Padmé's offspring would have been. With the proper training in the dark side, the child would quickly grow into a formidable Sith, prepared to take its father's place at his side.

Though it could not have been more than a few minutes, to Serina it appeared as if time had turned into a sluggishly moving stream. Then as abruptly as the pressure had started it was gone again. Serina drew in a deep breath. She had the feeling as if she had been held under water until her lungs were about to burst and then had been suddenly allowed to pop up above the surface again. Slowly, the pain subsided, the numbness receded and the shaking of her body ceased. As fear dreaded to crush her heart as she awaited the Emperor's decision, resentfulness spread in her soul. If she survived the next few moments, she would find a way to protect her mind against that kind of intrusion. Never again would she allow anyone, including the Emperor or her own dark master, to violate her in this manner. And if she would have to learn how to do exactly the same to others in order to accomplish her goal, she would do just that.

Palpatine motioned Vader to step up to his usual position beside his throne. "You have taught her quite well. Her power will truly be an asset to our plans." His voice was so low that even Vader had to strain to understand him. The waiting parents with their teenage children would not be able to even perceive that he was speaking at all. "Yet she still lacks one thing."

"Yes, I know. But it will only be a matter of time."

"That it will," the Emperor agreed. He motioned the Dark Lord to lean even closer.

"You might not have noticed it yet, but she has strong feelings for you. I have even felt a strong physical attraction to you, my friend. If you fulfill her that desire she will be forever ours. It will draw her to the dark side just as easily as anger or hate would. Since she does not possess a great potential for those, we will have to use the one emotion that is strong in her."

The Emperor sensed Vader's reluctance at the thought of what he was insinuating. His master's words caused the Dark Lord to finally understand what he himself had felt in the young woman, yet had disregarded as being utterly impossible before. However, Palpatine was not only suggesting that it was possible but even that it was necessary if Serina was to become the tool he envisioned her to be.

"It will be done, Lord Vader?"

"Yes, master, I will see to it." Reluctantly he agreed to the plan laid out by the Emperor. Did he promise too much? But his master knew as much as he did how severely his body had been damaged during the fight on the banks of that molten stream. If he was convinced that it should be possible, then most likely it was. And there was only one way to find out.

"And, my friend," the Emperor added, "you might even find it quite pleasurable." With a knowing smile on his lips, he directed his attention back to the young woman still kneeling at the bottom of the stairs.

"Arise, Lady Serina, and let me behold your face."

Serina's heart pounded with relief as she heard these words. She had made it. She had been accepted by the Emperor, the rest would be only formalities. With a fluid movement, she stood and removed the hood of her white robe. Without allowing herself to flinch back she stared up into the evil yellow eyes almost hid under the enormous hood. Some more minutes of intense scrutinizing, then she was dismissed with a wave of his hand. After a deep bow, she returned to the vast hall beyond the entrance to the throne room.

Once the Emperor had dismissed him a few moments later, Vader also left the throne room to talk to some of the high-ranking officers and moffs among the crowd. When the first ones who had observed the exchange from the waiting line returned into the reception hall, the word of what had taken place quickly made the rounds and Serina soon found herself the center of attention of a growing group of young men and women. _This will be a long night_ , she sighed to herself as she started to engage in small-talk as Caaroq had instructed her while making sure that nobody would be able to gather any information about her. To become elusive in her conversation was a lesson she had learned quickly in the year that had passed. Although it afforded quite some concentration at times, it would be worth it in the long run.


	7. Burning Desires

**Burning Desires**

(10 BBY)

It was already long past midnight, when the reception was finally drawing to a close. Red-robed Royal Guards had positioned themselves at the steps leading down into the throne room, indicating that no more audiences would be granted. The crowd in the hall started to dissolve as the various groups moved toward the turbolifts. Vader had left already some time earlier in the company of some moffs and admirals and was now waiting for Serina in his shuttle.

As soon as she entered, the shuttle lifted off and headed for Vader's castle.

"It went quite well," he told her.

"Yes, master." Serina could only agree. She had been able to get to know quite a few people, yet they had not been able to elicit any information from her beyond the story Vader had ordered her to stick to. And they would find it hard to even remember what she looked like. Everything had proceeded as planned. She was quite pleased at the results. Silence filled the cabin during the rest of the trip, both of them engrossed in thoughts of their own.

Serina considered the strange tone she had heard in Vader's voice. Due to the breathing mask and voice modulation system he was using, it was usually quite hard to read anything from his voice except what he wanted to be read. But she had gotten to know him quite well, most likely better than anybody else ever had, mainly due to her innate abilities. There was something unusual in his voice. It seemed to correspond to a certain grim determination she could feel in him. Now, what was that all about? She was pretty sure it had something to do with his private conversation with the Emperor.

Vader pondered what to do about the task set before him. He was torn between conflicting emotions. The Emperor's command was quite clear and a grim determination to fulfill his master's orders had formed in his heart. Breathing mask and body armor had been his only means of existing these past eight years since the fateful events on _Mustafar_. They were protection and prison at the same time, having prevented serious injuries on numerous occasions while isolating him from the rest of the world around him. The meditation chambers enabled him to remove the helmet and mask for a limited time, counteracting the feeling of claustrophobia he tended to get after too long a time in the sealed-up suit. But he only seldom got the chance to take off the suit in its entireness. After all, that could only be done at the EmPal SuRecon Center in the room especially equipped for his needs and it was a quite painful procedure at that. On a more or less regular basis, the medical droids would strip him down and even disconnect the artificial limbs for the purpose of realignment while his body, connected to external controls instead of the life support system of the suit, would be cleansed and any medical condition taken care of. If at all, any kind of activity the Emperor had hinted at, could only take place there. In the meditation chamber, he could merely reveal to her his face. That would have to be his first step and it would certainly be a test for her reaction.

* * *

Caaroq was waiting for them at the door of the hangar bay. One look in Serina's glowing face told her everything. The reception had been a success. Side by side the two women followed the black robed figure toward the upper levels where Vader's private rooms were located. Serina already expected to be dismissed, when the Dark Lord turned to her.

"Join me in my quarters." With a dismissive nod toward Caaroq, Vader entered his chambers. Serina's curious look followed him. This was new. Never before had he invited her to his chambers in the castle. A desire deep down in her gut started to rise, her stomach knotted up and a wave of heat flushed through her. But she swiftly clamped down on those sensations. This just couldn't possibly be. He probably only wanted to inform her of his plans for her future. Yes, that had to be it. It might be an unusual time and place for that, but Vader tended to be quite eccentric at times.

She quickly removed her robe and the necklace and handed them to Caaroq. Then she passed through the anteroom into Vader's most private chamber.

The room itself was shrouded in darkness except for the light from the huge window screen covering one whole wall. It pictured a view of the Imperial Palace taken by some outside camera. While lighting up the few feet right in front of it, the rest of the Dark Lord's quarters appeared even darker still. Slowly her eyes adjusted to reveal the enormous size of the room. Vader's dark form was barely visible as he stood several feet away from the screen. Behind him, Serina became aware of a dark shape filling most of the rest of the chamber.

Not sure what was expected of her, she waited quietly gazing at the sight displayed on the screen. The city below was a glorious sight to behold, even - or perhaps especially - at night. Millions of lights silhouetted the skyline with its many castles, towers, and spires.

Vader himself took no notice of the remarkable sight. He still felt a great reluctance to take the first step toward fulfilling the Emperor's command. Nobody had been allowed to look upon his heavily scarred face and mutilated body except for the Emperor himself and the droids that worked at the EmPal SuRecon Center. Now he would have to lay aside this shielding and face Serina without it. How would she react? Was her desire truly strong enough to accept him the way he was or would she be repelled at the sight. In that case, he could not allow her to live on, all the training he had given her for naught.

But he didn't really have a choice. His master's command had to be obeyed. Turning from the window display, he stepped up to his hyperbaric chamber. The upper lid lifted as he approached, dim lights illuminating the inside.

He motioned Serina to follow him into the chamber and to settle down in the only unobstructed space directly at the entrance. After removing his robe, he settled down in his meditation chair and turned away from the young woman. At a wave of his hand, the upper lid started lowering again. When the chamber was sealed, Serina could feel the pressure inside rise. The smell of strong medication permeated the oxygen enriched air.

The first of the robotic arms, attached to the dome of the chamber, lowered itself down to Vader's helmet and lifted it off his head, revealing hairless corpse-pale skin with thick scar tissue twisting from the back toward the front. A set of two more arms detached and removed the hideous breathing mask that covered his face.

Serina was well aware that she might be the first person to ever see the Dark Lord without iit. Yet this was part of her greatest desire; she would not shrink back from whatever sight she would be confronted with.

Then he turned slowly to face the young woman. He could feel the dread in her heart at what she could discern in the dim lighting, but fascination and desire overruled the fear. Slowly she got up and stepped in front of him.

Serina tried to conjure up the image of the handsome Jedi she had seen in her vision, right before he had turned into what he now was. She remembered the face of the young man, striking and grand, wistful, and invincible. Some of that person was still there, though forever marred by ugly scars. His face now reflected the rage and anger that had been consuming him these past eight years, but she could easily imagine what he had looked like before the Emperor had gotten to him and twisted him to the dark side.

She reached out her hand toward an unscarred part of his face, yet hesitated before touching his skin, looking at him for some form of approval. He nodded ever so slightly. His skin felt warm and soft even so its color was proof enough that it had not seen sunlight in nearly a decade. With the touch his presence in her mind became all- encompassing, shutting out effectively all other sensations. Her whole world consisted only of the man in front of her. She felt herself standing at the edge of a dark abyss, filled with the darkness that emanated from his twisted soul, with the hate and rage that was forever burning in his heart and the pain that was permanently present in his ravished body. She stepped even closer and, without waiting for his approval, bent forward, and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

Desire - bottled up for more than a year - rose in her, washing over her in hot waves, a dark desire, wanting to possess and yet at the same time to be possessed by him. She wanted them to become one, physically and emotionally, to reach a level of fulfilment that was beyond the limits of any mere physical act. As she stepped over the edge of the abyss and hurled herself into the darkness beyond, she was engulfed by the Force, drawing upon Vader's rage and hate, and a vision unfolded before her inner eye, unlike any she had ever seen. Through the connection she had established with him, Vader was drawn into the vision and shared the experience with her.

 _She was standing in a dimly lit room. The dark floor and the white walls were made of metal and everything had a feeling of clinical sterility to it. The walls were covered with screens, blinking lights, and various controls. Several cables and tubes were connecting the body of the man in front of her to the various machines integrated in the ceiling._

 _He was naked. His body was covered with badly healed scars where the artificial skin grafts had connected to the few spots of original skin that had not fused with his clothing. The artificial legs, from above his knees downward, were only skeletal as were his arms. As she looked up into his face, she could see the heavy scarring on the right cheek and the forehead that was the result of the forborne reconstruction work. The skin on his throat was irritated, apparently due to the hermetic collar chaffing against it, which he had to wear to support the breathing mask and helmet. His lips showed signs of having been nearly burned off, appearing thin and flaky. He was completely hairless, not even eyelashes or eyebrows were to be found._

 _Then she realized that she was just as naked as him. As he reached for her with his cybernetic hand and pulled her against his body, her firm breasts pressed against the hideously scarred skin of his chest where the cables that usually connected the control box with the implanted mechanical components protruded. He shuddered as pain flared through his body from the touch. Purely out of instinct, she reached out to the Force and smothered the pain by blocking all painful stimuli from his perception, replacing them with sensual sensations he hadn't known in more than eight years. As he bent down his head to her and pressed his ruined lips against hers, his body reacted with the sexual arousal she projected into him. As they gave in to the lustful desires of their bodies, their souls were engulfed by the dark side, carrying them to a level of satisfaction neither had known ever before._

As the vision slowly faded from her mind, she became aware of Vader's heavy breathing, his body trembling from the intensity of the vision. Her own hands were shaking too as she broke the physical contact with him, worry quickly displacing the pleasurable satisfaction she had felt only moments prior. Had she overstepped her boundaries? Had her own lust-driven imagination conjured up the vision or had the Force shown them the future to be? How would he react now that he knew the extent of her desire for him?

Although it had been only a vision unfolding before Vader's inner eye, yet it had been strong enough to transfer the effects to his physical body. The pain, that had been his constant companion since _Mustafar_ , had been non-existent, even beyond the vision, up until the moment when the physical contact to the young woman in front of him had been broken. And He could still sense how his body had been aroused in a way he had no longer considered possible. The Emperor had been correct, the task could be accomplished. And above that, if the vision had been already this enjoyable, how much more pleasurable would the actual realization thereof be. Just as the Emperor had insinuated.

His master would certainly be pleased to hear about this development. Vader had felt Serina's powers increase immensely as her desires caused her to draw upon the dark side through him. Even at this very moment, he could still feel that desire burning in her even so he could also sense her trembling uncertainty about his reaction to what had happened. From experience, he knew this kind of desire could never be satisfied permanently, but always only for a short moment. It was a form of addiction: the more she would strive to fulfill it the hotter it would burn. Just like his own desire for power. It was the way of the dark side.

The first step had been taken, but he had to ensure that the experience could be repeated anytime he wished. He grabbed her arm, pulled her into his lap and placed her hand back against the side of his face. There would be time for some rest and meditation later in the night. The Emperor didn't expect his report until the morning.


	8. Harm Set, Harm Get

**Harm Set, Harm Get**

(10 BBY)

"When will you be back?" Caaroq required as she bid Serina farewell at the foot of the ramp leading into the shuttle.

"Term finals will start in four weeks. After that, we'll have two weeks of leave at the academy. I guess I'll join back up with Lord Vader, either on the _Exactor_ or here on _Imperial Center_ during that time." Although Serina was looking forward to getting back to the academy and completing another term of her studies, she could hardly wait to continue her training with Lord Vader.

In the weeks since the levee, her skills had improved considerably. First the vision and then the implementation thereof only a few days later had opened up a depth of the Force she had never expected to know. Now she had to find out new ways to deploy her amplified abilities in the service for her Dark Lord and the Empire he represented.

But first, she had to ensure, that her studies were up to speed, and to get ready for the finals. And then there was still another matter to be taken care of: Rogards. Since she had laid out the rough outline of her plan to Vader nearly three months prior, she had been able to refine it greatly. Now it would even kill two mynocks with one blaster bolt, so her master had forgone taking care of John's uncle ahead of time. With Vader's help, she would soon be able to put the scheme into action.

As the shuttle lifted off and headed past the huge blast gates out into the bright sky above _Imperial Center,_ Serina considered the next steps in her plan. _That creep won't even know what hit him,_ she thought to herself as a little, wicked smile played around the corners of her mouth.

* * *

Classes were still in progress when the shuttle dropped Serina off at one of the smaller landing fields of the academy. She shouldered her duffel bag and headed for the small room she shared with her classmate Pat. A quick glance at a nearby chronometer confirmed to her that there would be enough time before the lunch break to set up the little gadgets Vader had provided her with.

After a brisk walk through deserted corridors, she finally arrived at the entrance to her quarters. A quick check of her few personal belongings confirmed that somebody had searched them thoroughly during her absence, but everything had been put back into place diligently. Whatever they had been looking for – and there was no doubt in her mind about who had done the searching – they had certainly come up empty-handed.

Unceremoniously, she dumped the contents of her duffel bag onto her bed. As she moved her underwear, shirts, and pants to the side, the more important items became visible: the compact lightsaber Vader had given her from his own collection to replace her own weapon that was still in his training room on the _Exactor_ , three grayish objects the size and form of small marbles, a cubical box about the size of her fist with a power socket connector on one side and a semi-spherical indentation opposite to it, and a special datapad with an integrated comlink small enough to carry on her at all times.

She quickly stuffed the small balls into one of her pants pockets and the datapad into the other. Then she placed the lightsaber back into her duffel bag together with her clothes. There would be time later that day to find a better hiding place for it. The last item on the bed was the cubical box. Serina picked it up and opened the door to her quarters. A quick glance up and down the corridor confirmed that it was still deserted. She stepped outside and headed for the nearest public HoloNet terminal. Since every level in the dormitory had its own, she didn't have to walk far. The terminal was located in a recess on the right side of the corridor. The niche was just large enough to allow an average sized person to sit down in front of the screen and operate the keyboard. In order to allow some privacy, a screen had been placed on the left side of the niche and a semi-transparent screen blocked the left half of the entrance.

Serina stepped inside the recess and pushed the chair out of the way. Then she knelt beside the terminal and reached with her hand behind it. Her fingers confirmed what the construction plans in the Imperial databank had implied: there was a second power outlet next to the one used for the terminal itself and there was enough space there as well since the HoloNet station was not encased at the lower rear side. Deftly she moved the small cubical behind the terminal and reached out through the Force - at least one benefit of the whole mess with Rogards was that she no longer had to refrain from using her abilities at the academy - to guide its power socket connector into the outlet. A small chirping sound informed her that the device was operational. She pulled the three small marbles out of her pocket and placed them on the floor. Using the Force to locate the minuscule switch that activated the miniature droids, she watched with fascination as the grayish balls split open in the middle and grew spindly legs of the same color. Then a small opening appeared in the upper half revealing a stalk-eyed photoreceptor that could be extended far above the surface of the small droid.

Serina pulled the datapad out of her other pocket and activated it. Then she initiated the connection to the Spiderite droids and issued the command to take up the task they had been programmed with: finding and observing John Rogards. One after another the droids disappeared behind the terminal to connect with the recharge and download station. Then they scurried away down the corridor to the main facility in accord with their programming, blending in perfectly with the gray walls of the building.

With the first step of her plan put into action, Serina got up from beside the terminal and stepped out of the recess. Leisurely, she walked back to her quarters. Just as she reached the door to her room, the piercing noise, used to mark the breaks between class sessions, could be heard throughout the academy grounds.

* * *

"You are back!" Pat cried out as she entered their room. Serina had just gotten finished putting the rest of her clothes into the small closet at the foot of her bed and turned to face her. With a huge smile on her face, her classmate drew her into a tight hug. Then Pat took a step back and, still holding tightly onto one of Serina's hands, gave her a quick once-over. "When did you arrive? How was it? What is Lord Vader like? Did you go to _Imperial City_? You have to tell me all about it!"

Serina raised her free hand in defeat. "Ok, ok, just hold it for a moment!" Pat's exuberance caused her to laugh out loud. "I'll tell you all about it. But first, let's get something to eat. I'm starving!"

Finally, with a laughter of her own, Pat let go of Serina's other hand. "Sure, I was just on my way to the mess hall. But don't keep me on the tenterhooks for too long, you hear?"

The mess hall was already crowded when they arrived and got in line for the serving counter. "So, you arrived at his castle. Then what happened next?" Pat was just picking back up where her classmate had stopped recounting her first few days with Lord Vader when they had entered the large facility. "Then I met Caaroq," Serina continued her account. "That is some woman, I tell you. She was in one of the first classes that finished the full three years here at the academy!"

"And what does she do there at his castle?" Pat's eyes were glued to her friend's lips.

"She is the head of the whole staff there. Has been with Lord Vader for about five years now. And he ordered her to make sure I stayed on schedule with my studies while I was there. She even gave me lessons in hand-to-hand combat. And she is really good at that." At least on this subject, she could tell the truth about her time on _Imperial Center._ And her admiration for Caaroq's abilities was not an act, either. Though she had been able to win some of their hand-to-hand training sessions toward the end of her stay, she did not ascribe that to her fighting abilities but to her improved precognition in the Force. Knowing the next move an opponent was about to make just had its benefits. Otherwise, she would not have had the ghost of a chance against Caaroq.

Chattering about the duties she had been assigned, her shopping trips with Caaroq and other small tidbits from her time on _Imperial Center_ , they slowly moved down the long line toward the serving counter. Suddenly, a wave of dark emotions – fierce anger mingled with an amount of incredulity – swept over Serina and caused her to stop dead in her tracks. Slowly, she turned in the direction the emotions were emanating from. She spotted him right away, sitting with some of his friends – all of them offspring of some admiral or moff, just like himself – at a table in the dead center of the mess hall, staring at her, his face contorted with rage. Rogards! If looks could kill, she would have been dead on the spot. Then the young man leaped to his feet, knocking over his chair, and, after another dirty look in her direction, stormed from the mess hall.

"What was that all about?" Pat wondered out loud as she pulled Serina a few steps further down the waiting line.

"I have no idea," Serina replied, "but I have a distinct feeling, he isn't too happy to see me, don't you think?" That was the understatement of the year, but telling Pat anything about the story behind the scene was totally out of the question. And yet, his reaction put any doubts, she might have still had about their little scheme, to rest, once and for all.

* * *

"Tell me: didn't you attend that levee of the Emperor's a month and a half ago?" Serina heard John question his invisible counterpart on his private subspace comm.

"Yeah, that was really something. A lot of people there!" was the reply from what she assumed to be one of John's relatives. The next few minutes were spent with an in-depth description of the events still fresh in Serina's mind.

The recording, one of her Spiderites had made, displayed a rather poor image quality due to the dim lighting in the young man's room, but the sound was crystal clear, as she watched it on her small datapad. During the week that had passed since her return to the academy, she had been reviewing the recordings daily, but so far nothing useful had occurred. This conversation was the first with any promise to it at all. John had avoided looking at her in class, but she had perceived him watching her closely whenever he had thought her unaware of it. And yet, aside from a few snide comments about her to his buddies from the mess hall, nothing she could employ in her scheme had come up so far. And time was getting short. Finals would be in just three more weeks. Their plan had been scheduled to be put into action right before the tests would be taken since the cadets would leave for their training missions just a few days afterward.

Suddenly, she perked up as her attention was drawn back to the recording. "And then Vader arrived." The intonation of the invisible speaker left no doubt as to his attitude toward the Dark Lord. "Can you believe it: he just jumped the whole line? And we had been waiting for hours already!"

"Yeah, that sounds just like him," Rogards' assent served as an encouragement for his counterpart. "Then what happened?"

"Well, he has some young girl come forward. I have no idea who she was. None of our kind, that's for sure! And the Emperor took quite some time staring down at her. Then he had Vader step to his side and they had some private conversation, not loud enough for anybody to understand what they were talking about. And then finally, the Emperor tells the girl to rise and even addresses her as "Lady". Can you imagine the audacity of that?"

"Hmm," Rogards considered for a moment what he had just heard, "did you catch her name? And did anybody talk to her afterward?"

"Hmm, Sela, Selina, something like that! And yes, we all tried to talk to her afterward and find out who she was. But somehow, she wasn't really forthcoming with any information. And to be honest, I can't even tell you for sure what she looked like. We'll probably never hear from her again. Why do you ask?" his invisible counterpart inquired.

"Well, I might have some inkling of who she might have been." But he was apparently not willing to let his relative in on the conclusion he had arrived at. _Good,_ Serina told herself, _saves me the trouble of eliminating one more of that nosey brood._

"So, will you be at our family get-together during the festival week?" John veered off to avoid any further prying into the matter. The following minutes were spent on the details of the planned family reunion at the Rogards' estate on _Anaxes_ right after the finals and before this year's _Festival of Life_ week. As Serina listened attentively to the information so unwittingly provided, the timetable for her scheme solidified before her inner eye. It was just perfect. This was the input she had been waiting for. She would have to contact Lord Vader immediately and inform him of the changed timing.

* * *

"I'll be leaving for a short trip next week," Serina informed Pat in a low conspiratorial voice. They were sitting in a secluded booth in one of the smaller tapcafs on the academy grounds, preparing for the upcoming finals over a cup of caf. Her roommate had been surprised by Serina's offbeat suggestion to visit the small bar but had finally obliged. The location had not been selected by chance. The tracking of Rogards through the Spiderites had proved quite useful indeed. Soon Serina had discovered a certain routine to John's daily activities. Every afternoon he met with some of his buddies in this specific tapcaf, always at the same time, sitting always at the same table, just within earshot of the booth she was sitting in now.

And sure enough, just when the serving droid had delivered their orders, the young men had shown up and taken their customary table. A little bit of joking around, a few just slightly too loud laughs, and John had been made aware of who was sitting in the booth just a few feet away from him. Though she was facing the other direction, she could feel his angry stares toward her back. With the setup in place, it was time to proceed with her plan.

"Where will you be going?" Pat did not bother to lower her voice, drawing an anxious "Shush!" from Serina, who gave the tapcaf a worried once-over, yet without turning toward Rogards' table. She could feel it through the Force: now she had John's undivided attention. "I'm not supposed to tell anybody," she continued in the same hushed voice as before, just loud enough for her inadvertent listener. "But he wanted to show me some special facility, somewhere out on the rim. That's all I know. He'll pick me up next Taungsday evening right after dinner and I should be back on time for the finals on Primeday morning." _Now that should give the little creep enough time to figure out a way to track me,_ Serina thought to herself. "It's already all cleared with the admin office. Officially, I'll be gone due to a family matter. So, if somebody asks where I am, just tell them that. Don't tell anybody anything else."

"Of course, I won't," Pat confirmed although she was not certain why Serina had given her any information at all. Or why she had chosen this unusual location for this apparently confidential conversation. Was she not aware that the most spiteful guy out of all the cadets at the academy was sitting just within earshot? Had he caught any of their hushed conversation? From the curious glances, he was casting their way, she assumed the worst. Should she tell her roommate?

Before she could voice her concerns, Serina drew her into an animated discussion about one of the subjects from the finals.

* * *

Perfectly on time, Vader's shuttle settled down on the brightly lit landing pad reserved for the academy's headmaster and high-ranking teachers. As the entry ramp lowered to the ground, Serina was already waiting to join her dark master. Briskly she strode up the ramp, ignoring not only the poorly hidden figure near the entrance to the building behind her but also the faint metallic clink the tracking device caused as it connected to the shuttle's hull.

When she settled into the co-pilot's chair, the shuttle was already passing through _Prefsbelt_ 's exosphere into the black void of open space and accelerated for its first jump to hyperspace.

"He placed a tracking device?" Her master was sparing with words as usual.

"Yes, master. He even managed to place a second one on my duffel bag, when he intercepted me on my way to the shuttle, well, at least on the third try he did." Serina smiled to herself. In order to not allow the whole situation to appear too easy and raise his suspicion, she had given the young man a hard time when he tried to place the miniature homing beacon on the bottom of the bag she had been carrying over her shoulder, turning sharply whenever he had thought to just be in a position to achieve his goal. When she had finally brushed off his attempts of drawing her into a conversation, she had bumped her bag into him before charging down the hallway. He must have considered himself lucky for the chance to attach the small self-bonding device to it. Then he had followed her and, from the shadows beside the entrance of the admin building, had directed a small training remote to attach a second homing beacon to the shuttle. Both items had been a favor from a teacher within the Intelligence Department of the academy, apparently an old friend of John's uncle. With the young cadet having completed his part of the plan, he and his uncle had concocted and the Spiderites had so conveniently reported on, the rest of the action would now fall to the seasoned admiral.

* * *

Serina returned on Primeday barely an hour before sunrise. She had used the long flight time to review the subject material for the upcoming tests a final time. Slamming her duffel bag into her closet had ensured that the tracking device would no longer be of any service to John. The device on the shuttle would certainly experience a similar fate. Vader would see to it happening without raising the admiral's suspicion.

The finals came and the finals went. Only the gloating looks Rogards gave her during lunch breaks and the recordings of the short yet insightful conversations between him and his uncle that her little droids furnished confirmed to Serina that the scheme was proceeding as planned.

The term was winding down on Zhellday with the reviews of the tests taken, the announcement of the test results and of the assignments for those leaving for training missions the following week. All the others looked forward to a week of vacation from their studies followed by the _Festival of Life_ celebrations. Many of the senior cadets were getting ready to leave for their individual family get-togethers right after the full assembly that following morning. The junior cadets without the privilege to leave the planet and those seniors without the proper reason or funds to do so would start their preparations for celebrating the fete week on the academy grounds.

On Benduday morning right after breakfast, Serina and Pat together with the other cadets from the communications branch were slowly congregating on the large parade grounds outside of the academy's main building. Everybody wheeled up into line and stood to attention when Headmaster Sauro ascended the podium followed by the other administrators and teachers.

After a short review of the term that had just passed, Sauro was just getting ready to call up the first of the cadets to receive special recognition for achievements during the past four months, when a Lambda-class shuttle descended swiftly toward the academy and settled on the landing pad next to the parade grounds. The entry ramp lowered to the ground and a fleet admiral accompanied by another officer and several stormtroopers emerged and marched toward the podium. The former senator interrupted the proceedings and cast a resentful glance at the slightly older officer whom he recognized quickly as Admiral Rogards.

After a military greeting, the admiral conferred with the headmaster for a few moments. Then Headmaster Sauro turned back toward the assembly. "Cadet John Rogards and Cadet Serina Wanders: proceed to the front."

Careful to keep a bewildered expression on her face, Serina stepped out of the line of her classmates and walked briskly toward the podium. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of John doing the same just a few blocks to her right. _Didn't we just have a similar situation a few months back,_ she thought with some amusement, _wasn't this, how all of this started?_

When both of them had reached the podium and saluted their superior officers, Admiral Rogards addressed the young woman: "Cadet Wanders, you have been charged with high treason against the Empire." Then he motioned to his troopers to arrest her. As they stepped up behind her and twisted her arms to her back placing them into stun cuffs, the admiral addressed his nephew: "Cadet Rogards, the Empire thanks you for providing the information vital to uncovering this unprecedented case of treason. You may join me as we proceed to bring the rest of the traitors to justice."

Then he took his leave of Headmaster Sauro and returned to the shuttle. John followed his uncle with an expression of triumph on his face, while Serina, escorted by two of the troopers, followed behind him. She had not resisted the arrest but had been quite careful to display a good amount of incomprehension mingled with despondency. They had not even bothered to check her for weapons. Although she doubted, that they would have recognized the metallic handle she carried in one of her pant pockets for what it truly was, she had been prepared to use the Force to divert their attention away from it.

On board of Admiral Rogards Imperial Star Destroyer, Serina was ordered to stand in the farthest back of the large main bridge guarded by the two stormtroopers that had arrested her. John joined his uncle in front of the large viewports on the forward end of the bridge. If he expected her to flinch or show any other signs of weakness he would be disappointed. Serina had not only undergone the same rigid physical training as all the other cadets at the academy during the past one and a half years, but had also been subjected to many hours of the quite merciless training Vader reserved for his apprentices, first during her training mission on the _Exactor_ and then during her stay on _Imperial Center_. To stand motionless in the same spot for hours on end without giving in to any physical needs was a mere child's play compared to some of the exercises she had been ordered to accomplish before. And, with the use of the Force, she could have stood there much longer than it would take to jump to the unnamed planet with Vader's facility.

Careful to keep a bland expression on her face, she envisioned the events that had led to her current state, based on the short communications between John and his uncle during the preceding days.

 _After Vader had picked her up at the academy, he had been careful to program several short jumps, giving the appearance of trying to lose any pursuers, before he finally made his approach to the unnamed planet with his research facility. Therefore, it had taken them nearly a whole day to arrive there. Rogards, who had been following them by means of the homing beacons, had stayed out of sensor reach until they had left the system again to return to_ Prefsbelt _. Then he had sent out some recon droids to evaluate the facility. Once he had been convinced that he had found the perfect means to accuse Vader of treason against the Emperor, he had left for_ Imperial Center _. Little did he know that Vader had been keeping track of his movements and that the order to evacuate the facility had gone out as soon as Rogards' ship had jumped to hyperspace. By the time of their arrival in just a few hours from now, the place would be empty and all databanks wiped clean. Not clean enough to not be restorable, but it would take some effort to produce useful data. And then the rest of their scheme would take its course._

As her mind returned to the situation at hand, she started a form of meditation she had just recently developed.

The Jedi had employed meditation to achieve mastery of oneself, inner peace, harmony, and serenity, to purge themselves of all emotions and to let go of any form of attachment. Even so not a Jedi herself, this had been one of the lessons Tantra had been trying to impress on her during her years with the old woman. And she had achieved a certain mastery of it, using it to finally put the events around the death of her parents to rest.

But Vader was not a Jedi, at least not anymore, and the form of meditation he practiced was the Sith version thereof. Instead of eliminating emotions he concentrated on the permanent pain he felt in his body, feeding with it the hate and rage, the new dragon at the center of his darkened soul that had replaced the dragon of fear and failure that his former self had tried so desperately to control, using it to sharpen his mastery of the Force, transforming the living energies around him into a weapon to be used instead of becoming an empty vessel to be filled by the Force as the Jedi had taught.

And he had encouraged, urged, and commanded her to do the same, to achieve a powerful, a permanent connection to the dark side of the Force, to employ it to the fullest as the weapon it was meant to be. For months, she had struggled with conjuring up emotions strong enough to achieve this mastery over the Force, but without much success. Only her desires for her dark master had finally proved powerful enough to grant her that kind of access to the dark side. But only in Vader's presence. Analyzing what had transpired first in his meditation chamber and afterward at the EmPal SuRecon Center had quickly made her realize that it had been the merging of her own desires with the well of rage at Vader's core that had given her the mastery so dearly desired. But it had also shown her another way to achieve her goal.

At first, she quieted her mind and emptied it of all emotions the circumstances provoked in her including all the physical needs her body engendered, just as Tantra had taught her. Then she opened her mind to the living energies around her, using them to invigorate her and sharpen her perception, providing an even deeper connection to the Force. Just by means of this exercise, she could have remained in the uncomfortable position she was in for many more hours than necessary, but she had to prepare for the events preordained to take place on that forsaken planet out on the rim.

In this state of heightened perception, she reached out through the Force to the other persons on the huge bridge. First, her mind touched those of the two stormtroopers assigned to guard her. She could feel their boredom, their frustration at having to watch what they perceived to be a young girl, unable to cause any serious trouble, and she made those emotions her own, immersed herself in them and then she moved on. She perceived the fear in some of the officers in the crew pits. They were privy to the target of their current action and Lord Vader had always been an opponent to instill fear in the heart of even the most jaded soldier.

Drawing up those emotions as well, Serina expanded her perception even further until she could sense the young man who had so persistently endeavored to harm her. His gloating at her predicament, his reveling in the victory he believed so close at hand and the envy and disdain he felt toward her and Lord Vader, were palpable, strong and full of dark side potential. So, she welcomed them into her soul, making them her own and boosting them with her own contempt for the young man and the anger she felt at the trouble he had caused for her and her master.

The last person, she turned her attention to, was the admiral himself. While John bathed in feelings of exultation regarding her plight, the uncle was already envisioning the results of his actions, the accolades the Emperor would bestow upon him for having revealed this betrayal of the Dark Lord of the Sith and the position he would acquire within the Empire's hierarchy, perhaps as Moff or even Grand Moff, on one level with Tarkin himself. The pride, the scorn for Vader, the haughtiness that encompassed his whole being, became Serina's as she plunged herself into them, absorbed them and merged them with all the other emotions she had accumulated so far. She meditated on them, fueled them with her own desires, fanning them until they became a consuming fire, then she placed mental fetters around them, turning them into a small, exceedingly powerful spot in her soul, ready to be released when the right moment arrived, when it was time to prove to her dark master, what she was capable of.

* * *

When Rogards' and the shuttle with his troops settled down in front of the research facility, the large landing platform was deserted. Just some widely scattered crates, some of them cracked open with their contents strewn about, gave witness to an obviously over-hasty evacuation. With the admiral and his nephew in the lead, a large group of officers, troopers, and specialists departed the shuttles. By the time the two stormtroopers marched Serina into the large entrance hall of the facility, the specialists had already set to work in an attempt to restore the wiped databanks, supplying Rogards with the proof that the facility had truly belonged to Lord Vader and verifying the research that had taken place there as evidence of the committed treason against the Emperor, while the troopers and officers were conducting a thorough search of the facility itself.

Just as the first reports of the data recovered were delivered to the admiral, one of the stormtroopers stationed outside on the landing field rushed inside and reported the approach of the Emperor's shuttle. A few moments later, Palpatine, escorted by a pair of his red-robed Royal Guards, strode through the entrance into the large hall, with a group of his personal scientists and technicians, led by a stocky fair-haired man in his mid-forties, following in his wake.

Rogards walked up to the black robed, hooded figure and knelt down in front of him. "My Emperor, we have found the evidence I had informed you about."

"Very well," Palpatine motioned him to rise. "Pass the data to my specialists; they will confirm it while we wait on Lord Vader." At a wink of the Emperor, the middle-aged man stepped forward and took the datapads with the collected information out of the admiral's hands. Then the team of scientists and technicians followed one of Rogards' troops as he led them into the depth of the vast facility.

As Serina was observing the proceedings from her position between the two stormtroopers, she continued to stoke the emotional fire burning within that restricted corner deep in her heart, reaching out for any emotion in the persons around her fit to be used for her purpose. Although she carefully avoided any mental contact with the Emperor, she could feel him reaching for her through the Force. So she cloaked herself in feelings of submission and devotion. Though he might suspect the whole situation to be some ploy of his own apprentice, she would not betray Vader by revealing anything of their plot to his own dark master.

Soon a familiar sensation touched the edges of Serina's perception in the Force. Lord Vader had arrived. A short time later, the black-clad figure, robe billowing behind him, strode into the entrance hall. A whole squad of the 501st Legion marched in after him and spread out into strategically important positions within the large foyer. As he approached the Emperor, Rogards quickly stepped out of the way of the imposing figure. Vader went down on his knee in front of his master. "Master, you have summoned me?"

"Yes, Lord Vader. Admiral Rogards has some interesting information about this facility here. We are currently waiting for his findings to be confirmed or disproved by my own specialists. Is there anything I should know about this facility before the reports come in?" There was a certain unveiled threat in the Emperor's voice.

"No, master," Vader replied without hesitation. "I can assure you, whatever information the admiral provided you with, it must have been maliciously invented to bring me into discredit with you."

"Very well, Lord Vader," the Emperor did not bother to pursue the matter any further. The truth would be forthcoming shortly. "Join me, as we await the findings." Vader arose and took up his customary position at his master's side.

"Lord Vader," Rogards was too thrilled by the prospect of seeing the downfall of the Sith Lord to feel any fear of the imposing figure in black. With a gleeful sneer on his face, he continued, "We have brought you a small present from _Prefsbelt_." Then he motioned to the two Stormtroopers guarding Serina to release the young woman from her restraints. Without bothering to even rub some feeling back into her numb arms, but drawing on the Force to invigorate her, she stepped up to her master's side. With a nearly imperceptible nod of his head, he acknowledged her presence. Serina allowed herself a small quirk of her lips in response, informing her dark master that everything was still proceeding as planned, then she retreated into his shadow, becoming all but invisible to the eyes of the admiral and his nephew. She quickly used the opportunity to remove her lightsaber from her pants pocket underneath her tunic and attached it to the clip on her belt. Then she took a step away from the Sith Lord and returned her gaze to the admiral and his nephew, wondering when they would realize that they had been duped.

* * *

When the specialists had not returned yet several hours later, Rogards was showing first signs of unease. Everything had appeared so irrefutable. What could take the Emperor's specialists so much longer than his own to verify the information contained within the databanks? For an instant, an awful thought crossed his mind: could this all be an elaborate trap that he had inadvertently sprung? But he pushed the thought aside as quickly as it had surfaced. They were probably just taking their time to make their findings absolutely incontestable. After all, Vader was the Emperor's right-hand man and Supreme Commander of the Imperial Forces. One did not accuse someone in this position without irrefutable evidence.

Serina caught a glance from the young man at the admiral's side. She allowed herself a small wicked smile as she felt him pondering her calm stance. Slowly, his snide expression toward her was replaced by the first inkling of circumstances spinning out of control. As John leaned toward his uncle with the intent of informing him of his bad feelings about the situation, the specialists and technicians finally returned.

The stocky leader of the team approached the Emperor and reported his findings. "My Emperor, it has taken some time, but we were finally able to uncover the whole truth about this installation." Then he continued with his report, how they had first been able to confirm the findings of Admiral Rogards' specialists but had in the process discovered some irregularities in the consistency of the database. Therefore, they had dug deeper and had finally discovered the original layer of information that had been quite professionally falsified, inserting into the original data and visual material Lord Vader's name and image.

"And you were able to discover the true owners of this facility?" the Emperor prompted his specialist.

"Yes, my Emperor, we have. The facility has always belonged to two quite influential families: the Lergos and the Rogards. They used these facilities for research into advanced weapons and cloning technics. When the research came to a dead end, the facility was apparently abandoned already some weeks back. Then somebody falsified the data just some days ago to incriminate Lord Vader."

As the specialist delivered his report to the Emperor, Serina watched John's expression turn from gleeful expectation to disbelief and, in the end, to speechless terror. She could sense the overwhelming fear that gripped him as the Emperor motioned to his stormtroopers, "Arrest the traitors!" With weapons at the ready, some of them advanced and encircled John and his uncle. The officers and troopers the admiral had brought along surrendered their weapons and were ushered from the room by the rest of the Emperor's forces.

Then Palpatine motioned Vader to step forward. As he knelt down in front of his master, Serina could sense his deep satisfaction at the way their scheme had worked out so far. And it was not over yet.

"So, the accusation was a ruse after all," the Emperor summoned up the findings.

"As you expected, master," Vader confirmed and, at a wink of the Emperor, got up to assume his customary position at his master's side. "I have arranged measures to prevent a reoccurrence of this kind of nuisance. Troops are standing by to receive your orders."

"Very well, establish the connection," the Emperor ordered.

Quickly, two portable holoprojectors were set up in front of him. Within a few moments, the picture of a stormtrooper with the special markings that identified him as part of the 501st became visible on one of them. Behind him a huge building came into view, more castle than house, surrounded by lush gardens and towering trees.

"We are in position as ordered, Lord Vader," he reported. "All expected visitors have arrived and are inside the house."

On the second projector, another of Vader's troopers confirmed their arrival at the requested position. Behind him only a few brightly lit windows could be seen with the rest of whatever building they belonged to swallowed up by the darkness surrounding it. Serina did not know much about the Lergos family. Just that Admiral Lergos had dared to ignore a direct order from Lord Vader some weeks prior. And that he was a close friend of Admiral Rogards. Vader had been furious but since their planning for the one admiral's downfall could easily be adjusted to take care of the other one as well, he had overlooked the blatant disobedience for the time being. Since it was the week before the _Festival of Life_ , Admiral Lergos had returned to his family on _Corulag_ to spend the holidays there, a fact that had played into their hands just perfectly.

A glance at John's face confirmed to her that he had recognized the site of the first transmission: the Rogards' family estate. Then she sensed another wave of horror wash over the young cadet as realization hit home. It was the day of their family reunion. The whole family was there. His uncle had planned on celebrating their triumph over Vader with them this very evening. Had all gone as planned, they would be on their way to their home planet this very moment. But it had not gone according to their plan. And now, Vader's stormtroopers were outside of his homestead, ready to strike.

Vader turned to the Emperor, "Your orders, master?"

"Proceed with due swiftness. Leave none to betray us again." On Vader's order, the stormtroopers in both transmissions advanced on the buildings. As they burst through the front doors, surprised outcries could be heard. But soon blaster fire drowned out all other noises. When the troopers at the Rogards' estate entered the grand room, where most of the family was assembled, and started cutting them down from Admiral Rogards' white-haired father to the small children of John's oldest sister, an anguished scream tore everybody's attention away from the massacre in the holotransmission to the middle-aged man held in bay by stormtroopers at the far end of the hall.

He had used the distraction caused by the transmission to rip the blaster from the hands of the trooper nearest to him. He pointed the weapon straight at the Sith Lord and proclaimed, his voice failing from the pain and rage that were ripping his soul apart, "My family has served this galaxy for more than a thousand years, from the end of the Dark Age until the rise of this Empire. We have always been loyal. And this is the reward for our service? My Emperor, what has this "Sith"," he spat out the word, "Lord been telling you. He is deceiving you, my Emperor. All of this," he made a sweeping gesture to include the whole facility, "is just a huge plot of his. It never belonged to my family. We are loyal. We have always been loyal."

When John's uncle had launched into his pleading, Vader had motioned the stormtroopers surrounding the two men to withdraw. Moments later, John had started to slowly back away from his uncle toward the wall behind them and was now sliding toward the gate to his right leading further into the facility. His eyes were riveted on the Dark Lord who had moved quickly into a protective position a few steps in front and slightly to the left of the Emperor and had ignited his lightsaber, humming red blade pointing casually to the ground. The young cadet's movement was stopped abruptly when a round metallic object was jabbed into his side and caused him to freeze. He whipped his head to his right and found himself staring straight into Serina's face.

"Now, you do not want to miss the fight, do you?" she was goading him, a wicked sneer on her lips. As he cast a quick glance at the metal object she had jabbed into his ribs, he realized, that it was not a blaster as he had expected. It was a metal handle, not unlike the one Vader was holding in his hand. A lightsaber! Her thumb was hovering over the activator switch. If she pressed it now, he would be stabbed straight through. He barely dared to breathe.

Then his attention was drawn back to the two men facing off in the middle of the hall. His uncle had finished his plea and was waiting for a reply from the Emperor.

But Palpatine did not even bother to waste one glance at the admiral. "Lord Vader, conclude this matter. We have other business to attend to." Then he turned and, escorted by his Royal Guards, left the facility toward the landing pad, the remaining stormtroopers following in his wake.

Perceiving all hope lost, the admiral raised the blaster and sent a whole barrage of bolts in Vader's direction. Easily deflecting the bolts toward the walls and the ceiling with his lightsaber, Vader slowly moved toward the middle-aged man. Rogards stood his ground, firing relentlessly at the advancing black clad figure. _Vader is playing with him like a cat with a mouse,_ Serina thought to herself and had to smile at the picture flickering through her mind.

"If you want to display loyalty, you should consider whom you are loyal to. And if you want to be loyal to the master, you should never mess with his apprentice," Vader informed the admiral as he took two quick steps in his direction and disarmed him with a flick of his lightsaber. As the blaster tumbled to the ground still tightly gripped by the admiral's right hand, a dawning realization appeared on Rogards' face. The Emperor ... a Sith! Then he never had a chance to start with. As he steeled himself for Vader's next strike, he allowed himself a final consolation: At least he would not have to live through whatever these Sith Lords had in store for the galaxy.

As Rogards' lifeless body sank to the ground, his chopped-off head rolled toward his nephew still kept at bay by Serina's lightsaber. Then Vader turned to the young man and motioned him forward. Trembling with fear at what was to come, John complied. As Serina stepped around the admiral's head to take up her position at Vader's side, the Dark Lord raised his lightsaber.

"Please, master," Serina interrupted the Sith Lord's advance on her former classmate. For an instant, hope surged through John, but her next words shattered that flicker of hope instantly. "His actions against me caused this whole mess. And this setup was my plan. I want to finish it, if I may."

Vader did not take long to consider her request. "He is all yours. Meet me at the shuttle, when you are finished." Then he deactivated his lightsaber and turned to follow the Emperor and his troops out of the hall.

For a long moment, Serina just stood there gazing at the young man in front of her, unarmed, beaten, bereaved of his family, his home, his future. And yet, there was a dark anger simmering in her, an anger he had caused with his actions. Though they had ultimately led to the fulfillment of her greatest desire, it could have also have led to her destruction at Vader's hands. Her master's orders had been plain: John Rogards must not survive. And he would not. But could she kill the defenseless young man in cold blood?

As she pressed the activation switch of the lightsaber, the green blade sprang to life with a humming sound. This would not be a fight. John had nothing to fight with. It would be a slaughter. She would have to make it quick. But could she do it? And yet, there was a certain pleasure at sensing his fear of what was to come. A pleasure the darkness that had lodged itself in her heart would have preferred to prolong.

Suddenly, the young man addressed her, "So, it was your plan?" he wanted to know.

Serina nodded. "Yes, with some improvements by Lord Vader."

"What is he to you?" he inquired.

There was no need to hide the truth. John would not live to tell anybody about it. "He is everything to me, my life, my future, my all."

"But he is evil!" John exclaimed.

"Yes," Serina admitted, "he is. And that is all right for now."

"But you are not like him, you are not evil. You can't just kill me in cold blood!" His voice spoke of desperation, of a willingness to do anything to avoid death at her hands. His statement caused her to reconsider for a moment. Perhaps she would not have to kill him in cold blood after all.

"Very well," she finally replied as she extinguished her blade and returned her weapon to her belt. "I will not kill you now, but you will have to stay on this planet, in this facility perhaps for the rest of your life. There are enough supplies here to sustain you and, maybe, one of these days, a ship will arrive and you'll be able to leave. But if I ever see or hear of you again, I will most certainly hunt you down and kill you. There will not be a second chance."

John fervently nodded his approval of this unexpected chance, but Serina could see his eyes darting about, considering other options. "I will leave now," she informed him, "don't try to do anything stupid." Then she turned and strode toward the entrance.

For a moment, John hesitated, then he dove for the blaster Vader had cut from his uncle's grasp, just as Serina had expected that he would. Shaking it loose of the lifeless hand still attached to it, he raised it and fired a whole barrage of bolts into the direction of Serina's retreating form.

But Serina was not retreating any longer. Sensing his movement through the Force, she finally removed the fetters around the burning spot within her heart and allowed the emotions contained therein to wash over her. Mingling them with the flaring anger she felt at his blatant rejection of her generosity, she opened herself up to the Force, the dark and strong emotions granting her a deep, all-encompassing connection to the life energies around her.

With a fluid motion, the lightsaber was back in her hand and ignited on touch. She whirled around back toward John, her blade deflecting with ease the bolts flying her way into the surrounding walls. Then she advanced toward the young man now trying frantically to scramble backward on his hands and knees while still firing volley after volley of bolts at her. Time slowed to a crawl for Serina as she immersed herself deeper into the Force as ever before. She no longer needed her lightsaber to deflect the bolts, though she continued doing so. She could have just as easily twisted her body to avoid them. Just a few more quick steps, then she stood right in front of the young man. With a flick of her lightsaber, she sent the weapon flying out of his hands, clattering to the floor far outside of his reach.

For a moment, she stared at the frightened, now utterly defenseless cadet with an expression of utter loathing on her face. Then she lifted her blade and thrust it through him. "You should have heeded my advice!" she informed him in an icy voice.

As time slowed in John Rogards' perception, as the blade entered his chest, burning its way through his body, he could think of only one reply, "Yes, I know." Then his eyes clouded over. Serina deactivated her lightsaber and allowed his body to slump to the ground. As she turned away to follow Vader to the waiting shuttle, a sudden unease washed over her. She had taken another life. Only this time, though it had been self-defense at the start, in the end, it had been nothing but cold-blooded murder after all.

And some part of her had enjoyed it.


	9. Do You Feel What I Feel

**Do You Feel What I Feel**

(9 BBY)

Darkness surrounded her. And it was cold, bitterly cold. Slowly, the freezing sensation was creeping into her body as she lay curled up on the hard metal floor. The feeling in her toes, fingers, nose, and ears had been lost already minutes earlier. Now her hands and feet were starting to fade from her perception. And yet she refrained from fighting against it, from drawing on the Force to preserve her body from death in the icy temperatures of the cell.

Instead, she concentrated on the way the freezing felt, on the prickling in her flesh as her system tried to conserve warmth through constricting the blood circulation to her skin, on the cold that was advancing inch by inch toward her inner organs despite the cramping in her muscles, on her heart as it was laboring harder with each passing moment to pump her thickening blood to her failing organs and on the continuous shiver racking her whole body. Her mind analyzed each sensation and stored it away for later usage. Just, as it was supposed to.

And yet there was this little nagging thought deep down in her heart that rebelled against the treatment she was receiving, that questioned its necessity, that raised an accusing finger against the one putting her through it. But with her last remaining strength of will, she pushed that thought aside: it was necessary! And she had not been forced into it, either. She had willingly submitted to it.

For a moment, her mind shut out the freezing sensation of her body as it wandered back to where it had all started.

 _The room was just as cold and sterile as the first time she had entered it, more than half a year prior. It was only dimly lit, just perfect for the eyes of the man stooping over her. His artificial hands were pressing her down firmly into the hard, cold surface of the surgical table. Her legs were still tightly wrapped around his waist, ensuring the physical contact between them. His eyes, quickly losing the yellowish tint of the dark side and returning to their natural burnished blue, gazed past her, his mind lost in thoughts of his own._

 _The sensation had been overwhelming as always, the vast powers of the Force easily accessible as they had soared up in their climax, at the height of their sexual pleasure. In that instant, anything they would have set their mind on would have been within their grasp, even the destruction of the Emperor. But as power-filled as that moment usually was, it was also just as centered on the act that caused it and allowed no rational thought outside of it. So, the moment had passed, again, without those powers being put to any other use than granting them utter sexual fulfillment._

 _Without conscious effort, she continued to use their physical connection to replace the pains and aches of Vader's body with the cozy, relaxed sensations of her own. Suddenly, she felt his attention focusing on her, his gaze scrutinizing her with an unusual intensity. Expectantly, with a quizzical expression on her face, she looked up at him._

 _"How do you do that?"_

 _For once, she was at a complete loss. "Do what, master?"_

 _"Take my pain and pass your sensations into me," he clarified._

 _She could only shrug her shoulders. "I don't know, master, I just do it. I've never thought about it."_

 _For a moment, Vader considered her answer. "What exactly did you do to those cadets shortly after you came onboard of the_ Exactor _? How did you "wish them" into liking you?"_

 _It took Serina a moment to consider her actions from more than two years prior. Finally, she haltingly admitted, "I planted a sensation of trust and friendship into them. At least, I think I did. I didn't really do it consciously. It was just my heart's desire that they would accept and befriend me, the same way my teacher back home had, and Tantra and the young man on the freighter, also. What I had sensed in them I sort of wished into the cadets."_

 _Vader let go of her shoulders and straightened to his full height. The physical contact between them was broken as Serina was forced to untangle her legs from his waist. She raised herself to a sitting position and got ready to slip down from the surgical table, but a sharp gesture of Vader's hand caused her to freeze in mid-motion._

 _For long moments, he strode from one side of the room to the other as far as the cables connecting him with the life-control-unit in the ceiling above them allowed. Serina followed him with her eyes, the coolness of the room slowly seeping into her. What kind of scheme was he considering? Was he looking for another way to deploy her innate abilities?_

 _As Vader passed her on his way back to the far side of the room, he noticed the shiver running through her body. He jerked to a halt in front of her, a cunning smile playing on his lips. With a swift move, he grabbed her hand and pulled it close to his chest, not allowing it to touch him yet. "You are cold."_

 _Serina nodded in confirmation, not certain what to make of the strange situation._

 _"Concentrate on that feeling. Allow it to permeate you. I want you to feel nothing else."_

 _With her eyebrows raised in quizzical confusion, the young girl complied. Within moments, the slight shivers increased to a thorough shaking of her whole body._

 _"Now make me feel your freezing," Vader commanded her as he placed her hand on his scarred-up chest._

 _For an instant, nothing happened. Then a cold sensation started to spread from the skin where her hand touched him. Within just a few heartbeats, it had completely permeated his whole body. A shudder ran through him as his system tried to compensate the imposed sensation by creating additional warmth._

 _With a satisfied expression, he let go of her hand and took a step backwards. At a wink of his hand, two of the droids activated in the far corner of the room and approached him with the innermost components of his armored suit. "Get dressed," he commanded his young apprentice as she slipped from the table and picked up her robe from the floor. "Meet me at the shuttle. I have a new training schedule for you in mind."_

It had not taken her long to figure out what this new training was all about. Since she could only project into others what she herself had sensed at one time or another, Vader had provided her with enough occasions in the past months since her return from _Prefsbelt_ after the completion of her fourth term at the academy to acquire any sensation he considered to be of value for her future tasks: burning, drowning and freezing had been the most outstanding among them.

And he had provided her with subjects she could test her abilities on: Imperial prisoners of all sorts. Whoever had the misfortune of having a run-in with the authorities and had ended up in one of the many Imperial prisons on _Imperial Center_ was an eligible candidate, especially those who proved quite resistant to the usual questioning methods.

Some of the sensations were easier to acquire and retain than others. Therefore, she had come up with various suggestions on how to intensify those that tended to fade quickly from her mind. The freezing chamber she was currently in was just one of them. And yet, submitting herself willingly to this kind of treatment did cause her at times to seriously question her own sanity.

* * *

The man was strapped tightly to the surgical table in one of the laboratories of Vader's castle. He appeared to be in his mid-thirties, but the past weeks in the Imperial prison had left their marks on his otherwise handsome features. His shifty eyes darted back and forth across the bare walls of the brightly lit room, certain proof of the kind of interrogation he had been put through previously. Several diagnostic sensors were attached to his bare upper torso, his temples and his ankles. A 2-1B medical droid was standing by to record whatever effects the upcoming treatment would have on the physical condition of the prisoner.

Outside, a lonely stormtrooper guarded the automatic door into the laboratory, one of many on this floor in the bowels of the huge castle. When the slender, black-clad figure approached with powerful strides, nothing hinted at the ordeal the young woman had just voluntarily undergone in the freezing chamber. A good dose of bacta, intensified by a short healing meditation, had quickly cured the frostbites on her limbs. But the memory of the experience remained. Thinking back to what it had felt like caused a violent shiver to run down her spine.

"Is the prisoner set up for the experiment?" she addressed the white armored figure, gazing intently at the familiar helmet.

"Yes, sir," the trooper confirmed as he stepped aside to grant her access to the lab.

Although the prisoner was facing away from her, she could sense the anxious unrest that befell him the moment the door slid shut behind her. On the wall across from her, a large viewscreen lit up. With a slight bow of her head, Serina acknowledged her master. Even so he was away on an urgent mission for the Emperor, he was not about to miss her newest attempt of honing her special abilities. The sheer terror that had gripped the prisoner at the sight of the dreaded Sith Lord would hopefully further her attempt and not hinder it.

After confirming that all sensors were working properly and that the medical droid was ready to start the recording, she removed her gloves and stepped to the side of the strapped down man. A pang of guilt hit her as she gazed into his terror-filled eyes, but she quickly brushed the unsolicited emotion aside. This was certainly not the appropriate moment for second thoughts.

Without further hesitation, she placed her hands on the man's bare chest, establishing the physical contact required for her special ability. Then she concentrated on the memories from just a few hours prior. Replaying the painful experience in as much detail as she had been able to retain, she projected the sensations into the prisoner.

It did not take long for his body to respond to them. First a shiver ran through him, a moan escaped his lips. Then his muscles started to tighten as his body fell into a heat conserving mode. The temperature of the skin underneath her hands dropped several degrees, while at the same time his cheeks turned a crimson red. His body was soon shuddering continuously, his teeth chattering loudly. She could feel him trying to fight against his restraints, but the shivering left him with little strength to do so. Slowly, the cold was crawling up his limbs. As it reached his torso, the shivering suddenly stopped. Too weak to fight against the progressing cold, the man started to plead for her to stop, agreeing to tell her anything she wanted to know. But there was no information she required of him. Instead, she continued and allowed the cold to swallow him up until his pleading became garbled and his mind finally shut down all together.

With a satisfied smile, she removed her hands from the man's chest. As she pulled her gloves back on, she cast a quick glance at the recorded data. "Transfer the file to Lord Vader and to the terminal in my quarters and have the prisoner returned to his cell."

After the droid had confirmed her orders, she turned to face her master. For a long moment, he studied the results of her newest experiment, his approval of her performance obvious through the Force. Finally, he turned his attention back to the young woman. "As expected. It will require further improvement once you return to _Imperial Center_. Join me now on the _Exactor_. A shuttle is already standing by. Don't delay."

As Serina tilted her head in consent, the screen faded to the all-encompassing gray of the surrounding walls. Without another glance at the stirring form of the prisoner, she strode from the room. "As expected" might not sound like praise, but from the mouth of her master it was more than she had hoped for.


	10. A More Subtle Way

**A More Subtle Way**

(9 BBY)

The planet visible through the large viewports of the _Exactor's_ bridge was covered in a thin blanket of gray clouds. Every now and then, glimpses of the landscape below could be caught. It would have been a pretty world in rich browns and greens, perhaps even a place for retreats and old age communities, had it not been for some huge craters and large areas of scorched countryside where once thriving cities and prosperous farms had been located.

As Serina stood patiently a few feet behind and to the side of her master, she wondered how old the massive planetary scarring was. It could not have been more than a few decades or nature would have reclaimed more of the devastated areas by now. But it somehow did not look all too recent either. Perhaps, it had happened during the Clone Wars, some ten years prior. Many worlds had suffered from the fights between the Republic and the Separatists, especially those at the edges of the claimed territories.

Time dragged on until a black shape emerged from the clouds accompanied by several smaller dots. Vader spun around and strode toward the far end of the bridge at a brisk pace. "Come along!" His silent command resonated in Serina's mind as she whirled around and hurried after her master under the furtive glances of some of the bridge officers down in the crewpits.

By the time the doors of the turbolift slid aside at their approach, Admiral Serfs and his adjutant had hurried from the ready room at the far end of the main corridor and had joined the two black clad figures. Serina could sense Captain Cord's curious sideways glance upon her, but she had drawn the hood of her robe deep into her face. She still had no idea why she had not been given the chance to change into her naval uniform, but her master's command had been blatantly obvious: Don't delay!

With a short nod, Admiral Serfs acknowledged the Sith Lord before he stepped inside the lift cabin in the taller man's wake. Serina motioned the adjutant she remembered well from her first stay on Vader's flagship to precede her as they followed suit. As she turned to take up her position behind her master's hulking frame, she allowed the captain, slightly taller than herself and several years her elder, to catch a short glimpse at her face.

As their gazes met, his eyes widened in sudden recognition of the young woman. Although she could sense the questions rushing through his mind, he didn't allow them to mar his mask of professional dedication, acquired in long years of surviving his position as liaison officer between the unpredictable Sith Lord and the sometimes quite choleric admiral.

Not a word was spoken as the lift rushed them through the bowels of the Star Destroyer and deposited them on the main hangar deck. With quick strides, they covered the remaining distance and emerged into the spacious bay where a _Sentinel_ -class landing craft had just settled down moments prior.

After the exit ramp was lowered, several stormtroopers, bearing the navy-blue markings of the 501st, emerged, dragging five bedraggled, manacled individuals with them. With quick stabs into their knee pits, they forced them to kneel before the looming figure of the Sith Lord.

"Lord Vader, the survivors of the rebel shuttle that landed on _Telos,_ " the commander of the operation reported. "We located them in an old, near-derelict base at the foot of the major mountain range. It was apparently damaged during the _Kwymar Suppression_ and had been abandoned after that. They had just started to rebuild it. But not any longer."

"Any evidence of the targeted subject?"

"No, Lord Vader, not at the base. But there has been no time for any in-depth questioning yet."

For some moments, the Sith Lord scrutinized the prisoners. The fear of what was to come was plainly visible on their faces. And yet, while most of them had clearly resigned themselves to their fate, the youngest in the group was obviously having a hard time of keeping traces of a grim satisfaction from marring his mask of forlornness.

"Take him to the interrogation chamber," Vader pointed toward the young man. Then he turned to leave the hangar bay. "And," Serina was most likely the only one to notice the barely perceptible hesitation, "lock up the rest."

This was unusual. There were only two reasons to keep rebel prisoners alive. One, if there was a certain probability that they were in the possession of additional information that further interrogation might reveal. Or two, if they were prominent enough to attempt brainwashing them into sleeper agents before they were sent back to their rebel cells. Those four men hardly qualified for either category. Then why had he ... _Oh_ , Serina suddenly realized, _more test subjects for me._ With a growing sense of pity, she watched the stormtroopers drag the men back to their feet and push them toward the turbolift before she turned and hurried after her master. Perhaps, they would have considered death preferable to the treatments that awaited them at her hands.

* * *

Several hours later, the grim satisfaction the young man had tried so hard to hide had given way to a heart-wrenching pleading for an end to his ordeal. Any end, even death, had become a welcomed relief, but it was a relief he was longing for in vain.

The interrogator droid had injected him with various drugs, but it had become obvious quickly, that Vader preferred the prisoner to not be harmed physically. The man, however, did prove quite resistant to the questioning, revealing no information above what the stormtroopers had already reported. As soon as the inquiries turned toward whomever the band of rebels had been transporting, his mind just blacked out as if a mental blockade had been erected around that specific memory. Not even the droid managed to keep the man conscious in that case.

"Somebody has manipulated his mind. There is no other explanation," Serina commented when the prisoner blacked out for the fifth time in a row during the second hour of interrogation. "If we continue in this fashion, he won't last much longer." No matter what her master preferred.

Vader agreed. "His mind appears well protected."

"We can tear it down, layer by layer, but it will take some time, master." Time, Serina was certain, they did not have. The longer it took them to retrieve it, the less the information would be worth in locating whomever the Dark Lord was searching for.

Vader discarded the option with a dismissive gesture. "This situation requires a subtler solution. Come along."

A subtler solution? With a sudden sense of unease, Serina followed her master out of the observation chamber and toward the main hangar bay. Though she was eager to hear the plan the Sith Lord had concocted and to get a chance to prove her worth to the man her heart belonged to, she was at the same time worried as well: would she be able to live up to his expectations?

* * *

The hike down the foothills of the mountain range into the outskirts of _Malakan_ , the city closest to the former rebel base, had left the young woman thirsty and covered in a red-brown layer of fine dust. Rivulets of sweat had carved eddies into the dirt baked onto her face and had left large blotches on the front of her once light beige shirt despite the rapidly sinking temperatures. The sun had grown into a huge reddish disc as it got ready to slip behind the hazy horizon.

When a low whine rose from behind the ridge she had crested about an hour earlier, Serina quickly dropped into the questionable cover between two nearly leafless bushes and a large bolder. There was barely enough time to tear the thin black robe from her satchel. Its insulating material could also serve as a thermal blanket, if the need arose. She huddled underneath the thorny branches tightly clutching the improvised infrared concealment to her body and pulled the hood deep into her face. Seconds later, two H-shaped vessels emerged and swooped down toward her hiding place. But just as quickly as they had appeared, they vanished into the distance as they flew past her toward _Malakan_.

When the sky was clear again, she crawled out from underneath the bushes and got back to her feet. After stuffing the robe back into her satchel and swinging it unto her back, she set off in an easy trot always keeping a weary look-out for a return of the TIEs. By the time, she reached the first low buildings, the mountains behind her were blanketed by a nearly impenetrable darkness and the city in front of her was illuminated by a multitude of streetlights.

Keeping carefully to the shadows, Serina moved from one block of buildings to the next. But most of the businesses she passed were closed for the night or even permanently. While some were well-kept, others were rather run-down. The same was true for the small houses tugged in between the larger prefab commercial buildings. Some had broken window panes and paint that had started to peel off while others even had little front yards already all set for the approaching winter.

Aside from some straying reekcats, Serina encountered hardly anybody. The reason became obvious quickly, when she rounded another corner and jerked to a halt at the sight of a couple of stormtroopers at the far end of the alley. But they were busy checking out the driver of a landspeeder and hadn't noticed her yet. With a swift move, she slipped back behind the corner and considered her options.

Half an hour and more roadblocks than she cared to count later, she arrived at the conclusion that there was no way into the targeted city blocks unless she managed to get past one of those check points. The information she had received had been quite irrefutable: there had to be a group of rebel sympathizers somewhere in that area. But so far, the location of their headquarters had remained a well-protected secret. By cordoning off those city blocks, the local governor was obviously trying to make amends for not taking uncompromising actions against those rebellious elements ahead of Lord Vader's arrival. But Serina doubted, that he would escape her master's wrath, even if this crackdown turned out a success.

As she rounded another storage facility, one of the four arterial roads of the city became visible behind the next city block. And with it, a long row of vehicles waiting to pass another roadblock on their way into the center of _Malakan_. From the direction of the mountains, a low whining noise rose and quickly built to a screeching roar as another flight of TIEs passed overhead. Serina watched them from her shelter behind some trash bins and a midsized garbage compactor. Apparently, they were still searching for her.

For a moment, she cursed the shrewdness of Vader's plan. None of the Imperials knew of her presence or her identity. Even the pilot of the assault craft had not gotten a glimpse at her face. First, he had taken her to the captured rebel base. The stormtroopers there had just followed their orders and helped her select an assortment of fitting clothes from the dead rebels without attempting to discover who hid underneath the black cowl. Then the pilot had transported her to the drop-off point just behind the ridge. She had left her regular clothes in the assault craft and had, adorned in the worn-out attire just stripped of the corpses, dropped out of the low-flying craft into the cover of some prickly shrubs. Strictly following his orders, the pilot had continued onward, hugging the craggy foothills for another few minutes before pulling up and returning to the _Exactor_. So, if she got caught, she would be treated just as one of the rebels she was trying to contact. And she could expect no mercy at the hands of any of her own troops.

As she watched the slowly moving traffic visible at the far end of the two buildings in front of her, a utility speeder with high sidewalls on the attached cargo compartment moved into view. A vague idea was tugging at the back of her mind as she used her macrobinoculars to take a closer look. Just as she had hoped: a whole load of _Malak_ -corn-stacks, the last crop harvested before the winter, already bundled together for the upcoming harvest festival. Some of the stalks were tall enough to peek out over the sidewalls. And from what she could discern in the light of the streetlamps, they were just as dry as could be expected. A rueful smile tugged at her lips at the next thought: the stormtroopers would certainly not appreciate having to search through the prickly lot for any hidden stowaways. But she would relieve them of that task even so she didn't expect any thanks in return.

A quick rummaging through the garbage bins provided what she needed for the idea that had grown into a full-fledged plan: an empty glass bottle, a small canister with a viscous fluid that smelled like oil drained from an old-fashioned load-lifter engine, and an old rag. With her multitool, she tested the oil. It took some time to catch fire, but she didn't need an explosion, so it would work just fine. Within moments, she had assembled her makeshift missile.

There were no streetlamps to provide any kind of illumination in the narrow side alley behind the industrial buildings as she worked her way toward the last structure right next to the roadblock. But she didn't need any. Using the Force to increase her vision had become second nature in the past year of Vader's intensive training.

The last building consisted of a high-ceilinged production area on the first floor and an office level above. The roof was flat and spiked with various communication arrays as well as a landing pad for small personal transports. The space between the structure and the neighboring storage facility was designed for use by ground-bound transports and brightly lit by a battery of floodlights. Several cargo vessels had been docked to the unloading hatches and, despite the late hour, a large group of mechanics was busy servicing the bulky crafts.

The backside of the building facing the alley was wrapped in darkness and Serina hurried past the docking area to find a means of climbing to the roof. But there was none to be found. As she approached the corner at the far end, a brightly lit, long row of more than head-high pourstone blocks became visible, deposited between the manned roadblocks to prevent unchecked entries into the tightly controlled inner city. Quickly, Serina slipped back into the protective darkness of the alley.

Again, she approached the unloading area and scanned the building level above the docked vessels. But there was still no way to reach the roof without being noticed. And her window of opportunity was closing fast. The cargo transport with the _Malak_ -corn was proceeding haltingly, but steadily toward the roadblock.

As she leaned her back against the smooth surface of the building's backside, her gaze fell upon the backyard of the storage facility flanking the other side of the alley. Only dimly lit by stray light from the docking area, various containers and a large trash compactor nestled up against the side of the building. Just what she was looking for!

A few minutes later, she peered down from the roof toward the stormtroopers at the roadblock. After she had reached the top of the neighboring building, it had been just a matter of using the Force to carry her in a wide jump safely onto the facility. At least, the landing pad and the turbolift leading down into the building were deserted and only marginally lit by small marker lights. And there was hardly any time left. Only one more vessel separated the utility speeder from the check point. If she was going to act, she had to do it now.

She removed her makeshift missile from the small pouch attached to her belt and used her multitool to ignite the soaked rag-fuse. It took a moment, but then the oil caught fire. As she got ready to throw it toward the _Malak_ -corn, she concentrated on the small core of strong emotions, always safely locked away at the center of her being. Allowing them to wash over her, she reached for the Force around her.

The roof was no longer in darkness. Every little detail became discernable if she just concentrated on it. She drew her arm back and flung the burning bottle toward the cargo transport. With her mind, she guided the missile, correcting its flight path where necessary. A few heartbeats later, it slammed against the railing of the sidewall and shattered, spilling its contents and the burning fuse onto the dry, prickly contents. Within a few seconds, smoke started to pour from the cargo compartment as one stack after another caught on fire. The landspeeder had just been approved to pass through the roadblock and the cargo transport pulled up the final meters toward the stormtroopers.

Suddenly, one of them pointed at the billows of smoke rising from the cargo compartment. Shouting erupted as they ordered the driver to leave his vessel. The man was still completely unaware of what was going on behind his back and quickly found himself pulled from his driver's seat by the troopers who had gone in position around the burning vessel. The roadblock itself remained unattended for the moment. Small groups of curious onlookers were starting to gather on both sides of the street in a wide circle around the white armored figures.

Serina grabbed the fibra-rope she had attached to one of the communication arrays and propelled herself down the side of the building facing the pourstone slabs. Then she reached again for the Force. It granted her a burst of unnatural speed as she raced toward the roadblock, barely more than a swiftly moving shadow. Within moments, she was past, but she was far from safe.

The moment, she slowed to a more moderate pace, one of the troopers caught sight of her. "Hey there, stop immediately!" he shouted after her and supported his order with a bolt from his assault rifle. The shot, aimed to only get her attention, went high above her head. This would not hold true for the next one. But she was not about to give them a chance at hitting her.

Using her strongest emotions - anxiety and a slowly growing anger - to grant her a better grip on the Force, she started to hurry down the street at a breakneck speed, dodging to the right and to the left, always anticipating the next bolt from the troopers pursuing her. A quick glance back over her shoulder confirmed her worry: several troopers had left the burning cargo transport and were rushing after her. From behind the pourstone blocks, more heavy footfalls could be heard: troopers from the nearest roadblocks had been ordered to join the hunt and it would not take long for a flight of TIEs to appear as well.

As fast as she was moving, she would have missed the small alley perpendicular to the main road had it not been for a strong pull of the Force toward it. She jerked to a halt, barely steadying herself with a grip on the building's corner. Twisting back into the direction she had come from, she pulled herself past the corner into the alley and dashed off into the narrow ravine between tall office buildings. She could only hope that this was not a dead end. And that she would soon find another side alley or the troopers would play shooting range with her as the central target within the next few minutes.

But before the first of her pursuers arrived at the mouth of the alley, the block to her left opened onto an empty back courtyard, moderately illuminated by lights from windows on the upper levels. A head-high fence blocked her way in that direction and there appeared to be no other exit, but her instincts pointed her that way as if a spotlight had been switched on. She reached for the top of the grating and used the Force to vault over the metal fence to the other side. Then she hurried to the doors set into the walls along the left and the far side of the open area.

Old fashioned doorknobs with build-in ID pads blocked her way into the facility and out of sight of the quickly approaching troopers. With enough time, she could overcome the locking mechanism on one of them with a hatch cracker or even with the Force, but she didn't have the former and certainly no time to apply the later. So, she hurried from door to door, getting more frantic by the moment. Had her instincts been wrong? Should she have continued down the alley?

There were only two doors left, when a low whining sound started to echo off the walls of the surrounding buildings. TIEs! Just a few more seconds and they would be directly above her. In the alley behind her, heavy footfalls could be heard as well. Any moment now, the first of her pursuers would reach the fence. And there was no place to hide in the empty courtyard, not even a trash bin or the likes.

Sudden regret washed over her as she reached for the knob of the door in front of her. Regret, that she would disappoint her master, that this was most likely her untimely end and that she would not get to finish the academy, either. For a moment, the sensation was so strong that she froze, unable to think clearly.

Then she stumbled forward and her mind was fully alert again. The knob, she had just reached for, was no longer there. Instead, a strong hand grabbed her outstretched arm and pulled her into the darkness behind the door. As soon as she was inside, the door swung shut again, quickly but with no more than a muted thud.

"Follow me," a hushed, but distinctly male voice whispered in her ear as she was pulled forward. After just a few steps, her rescuer stopped and she bumped into him. With a low hum, a small glowrod came to life and was pointed toward a square hole in the floor.

"Get down there!"

Serina did not have to be told twice. Crouching down in front of the opening, she discovered the top of a ladder leading down into the hole. She lowered herself onto the first rung and descended as quickly as the dim lighting allowed. As soon as she had moved downward far enough, her rescuer followed suit. Once he was fully inside the duct, he touched a small sensor panel set into the wall several handbreadths below the opening. With a low grinding noise, a lid swung down and sealed the duct.

When Serina reached the end of the ladder, she stepped aside to allow her rescuer to follow suit. Skipping the last few rungs, he landed light-footed beside her.

"Watch your step," he advised her and pointed his glowrod toward their feet. They were standing on a narrow ledge, barely two feet wide. Beside it ran a ditch, about one meter across and just as deep. The light of the glowrod was reflected by something at the bottom, from the looks of it most likely water. As realization set in, she could finally place the horrible stench that had assaulted her upon arrival: they had descended into an old-fashioned sewer system. Located at least seven meters below ground level, it was obviously still fed by some of the older buildings in town, but, from what she could discern, not enough to allow the wastewater to move with adequate speed, therefore the awful smell.

"Just make sure you don't fall in," her guide added. "Whatever lives down there, doesn't usually come up to the ledge, but they claim everything - and everyone - that falls in as their rightful nourishment. And, from what I heard, they have pretty sharp teeth."

Just as her rescuer started to lift his glowrod, the liquid at the bottom rippled and two yellow eyes appeared on short stalks above the surface. Then something slithered past them, discernable only by the motion of the water. With a shudder, Serina turned away. No, she had no intention of getting acquainted with whatever lived down there.

With a knowing smile, the young man pointed the glowrod ahead of him and started with quick strides along the ledge further into the wide spread tunnel system. Several minutes and more turns than Serina cared to remember later, he stopped at another ladder leading upwards. It was much shorter than the one they had descended earlier, but the sensor pad below the round lid above them looked just the same.

After the young man had entered the appropriate code, the entrance opened up and bright light fell down upon them. When Serina emerged from the opening, helpful hands grabbed her and pulled her inside a small, bare room. As soon as they had set her back on her feet, the lid swung back down and resealed the entrance with a low thud.

Beside the young man, who had rescued her from her pursuers, two more men and several women surrounded her, gazing upon the new arrival with friendly curiosity. But they quickly stepped aside, when somebody cleared his throat behind them.

The man was in his mid-forties and of a sturdy built. A dark shock of hair with starting grey at the temples framed a round face with green, friendly eyes. And yet, there was a haunted look in those eyes, the same look she had seen previously in the eyes of the captured rebels aboard the _Exactor_. Whatever this man had experienced in the recent past, it had left him shaken, but not broken.

He stepped toward her and extended his hand. "I am Ron Pracket. Welcome to our small hideaway."

She took the proffered hand. It was warm and his grip firm. "I am Sera Delair. And thank you so much for the save. They nearly had me."

"Glad, we got there in time. Just don't make us regret our helpfulness." He still held on to her hand and scrutinized her face intently.

With a serious expression, Serina held his gaze for a long moment. Regret had become inevitable the moment the door of the storage room had opened for her. But it would not do for them to find out prematurely. She allowed a relieved smile to soften her features. "Of course, not!" she exclaimed.

Ron finally let go of her hand and turned to leave. He motioned her to follow him out of the room. "You've got to be starving. We've prepared some dinner for you. And then you can tell us what got you in trouble with our beloved Empire."

* * *

"We've got to do something! We can't just leave them to the Imperials!" Serina allowed desperation to mingle in with her passionate plea while at the same time using the Force to impress a strong desire to support her upon the man across from her.

"And what are we supposed to do?" Ron looked at the young girl with incredulity. "Just fly up there, march into the detention area, grab our folk and leave?"

"Of course, not!" Serina exclaimed. "But there has to be a way!"

"Hmm," for a long moment, the leader of the small group of dissidents considered her thoughtfully. Yes, he felt a strong desire to help her, to free the men, who had been taken to the Star Destroyer above, out of the clutches of their captors. But their means were indeed quite limited. Much had been invested into the rebuilding of the old base, now destroyed by the Imperial troops for good. It would take some years to recover from that blow.

On the other hand, he had received a report shortly before the base had been attacked, that the shuttle, that had arrived there with a small group of rebels recently, had also carried an unnamed, but very important passenger. From what he had read between the lines, it had apparently been a Jedi, one of the few survivors of _Order 66_. No information had been provided as to why the man was visiting _Telos_ nor if he had stayed at the base or moved to a different location. And then, everything had spun out of control.

Until the young woman had shown up, they had been convinced that nobody had survived the assault on the base. But she had reported a quite different scenario. When she had tried to join her boyfriend Jorig at the mountain base, she had drawn near right during the attack and had been able to watch the final stage thereof. From what she had told them, many had died, but some had been taken prisoner and transferred to the Star Destroyer still in orbit. If the unnamed passenger was among those, he would have to seek a way to rescue them, even if it'd put all their lives at risk. If they could rescue the girl's boyfriend - whom she believed to be among those taken - in the process, so much the better.

With a deep sigh, he finally nodded. "We will consider our options. If we can find a way to get up there with a reasonable likelihood of success, we'll go ahead with it."

"I already thought about that on my hike through the mountains back to _Malakan_ ," Serina beamed with excitement as she laid out her plan before the assembled group of rebels. "Before I met Jorig, I had a really good friend who worked at a local food distribution center on my homeplanet. He once made a comment about picky supply masters on Imperial capital ships. They all seem to have one habit in common: whenever their ships stay in a certain system for more than just a day or two, they order the best of the local markets for the senior officers, you know: fruits, vegetables, special meats, and all the likes. Now, that ship has been up there for close to three days by now, if I am not mistaken. They should have placed their orders already, if they stay true to their habits. But we must be quick. Once the shipments are on their way, it'll be too late."

Ron addressed a young man at the far end of the table, "Ian, check the major food distributors and see, if they received any orders like that." The boy, lanky and with a shock of blond, nearly white hair, jumped to his feet and rushed from the room.

While they waited for the results of his efforts, Ron assembled his team. Most of the dissidents, who had intently listened to her tale, left the room, and were replaced by several new faces. The rebel leader quickly brought the newcomers up to speed regarding her story and the task ahead of them. Although Serina didn't even know their names, she realized quickly the common denominator of them all: they were the most seasoned fighters the small group of dissidents could pull together.

It did not take long for Ian to locate some of the suppliers that had received orders from Vader's flagship. With the information regarding all the upcoming shipments at hand, Ron and his task force got to work. They had only a few hours left to develop a feasible plan for their rescue effort.

With quiet amazement, Serina listened to the ideas proposed and rejected again. For such a small group on such a remote planet, they proved to possess a quite detailed knowledge of the capital ship above them as well as the procedures within the Imperial Navy. She did not dare to inject any helpful details. That would have blown her cover almost instantly. But she could ask innocuous questions. And the answers given directed the scheming in just the direction she intended it to take.

* * *

The supply shuttle ranked among the oldest vessels Serina had seen since her stay on the _Ayers' Nest_. But it served its purpose and transported them safely into the huge hangar bay of the _Exactor_. It had taken some Force-aided persuasion for her to be included in the rescue team, but not as much as she had feared. Apparently, her sharp-witted questions had impressed Ron enough to consider her a valuable addition to their group.

As soon as their ship had passed the hangar entry port and settled down in the designated spot close to the supply lifts, Serina felt the inquisitive touch of her master's mind. While the engines were shutting down and everybody waited for the instructions for the off-loading of the supply crates, the young woman passed along the details of their plan to the Sith Lord, just as they had practiced repeatedly in the past year.

The touch of a gloved hand on her shoulder pulled her from her absentmindedness. "Hey, daydreaming time's up! We've got to move. You don't have second thoughts now, do you?"

She looked up into Ron's taut and yet sympathetic face. Vehemently, she shook her head and jumped to her feet. "Nope," she exclaimed. "I was just thinking of Jorig, and ..." her voice trailed off and her face assumed an anxious expression.

"If he's still alive, we'll get him out of there," Ron tried to comfort her. Then he motioned the young woman to precede him to the exit ramp. Both were wearing the borrowed outfits of the supply company that also owned the shuttle. Two more of their team awaited them in similar attire next to the cargo lift. The first couple of large supply containers had already been removed from the vessel's hold and transferred to the first of the provided hovercarts for the transport into the _Exactor's_ storage area.

One of the ship's MSE-6 droids was already waiting to lead them there once the remaining six containers had been off-loaded as well. There was a constant activity of arrivals and departures as well as loading and unloading of all kinds of vessels in the hangar bay reserved for freighters and supply shuttles. Droids were scurrying along, troopers were inspecting some of the shuttles and harassing other teams of suppliers, but none of them had approached them so far to monitor their off-loading. If anyone else on the team considered this as strange, they apparently took it as lucky coincidence and didn't even comment on it. But Serina knew better.

Long minutes later, the rest of the hovercarts had been loaded and the small mouse-like droid scurried away ahead of them toward the nearest turbolift. Serina noticed the uneasy glance Ron cast at the couple of troopers just emerging from the hatch of the vessel next to them, but they didn't show the slightest inclination of approaching the departing group. When the lift doors closed behind them, everybody heaved a sigh of relief. The first stage had been surprisingly dead easy and without unpleasant incidents. Hopefully, their lucky streak would hold a little bit longer.

Ron tapped three times lightly on the top of the container nearest to the sidewall of the lift. A panel at the bottom slid aside and a black-gloved hand emerged with a small electronic gadget. The rebel leader took it and stepped around the hovercart toward the MSE-6. Then he bent down as if taking a closer look at the front of the cart. Certain, that he was no longer in the visual range of any of the lift's surveillance cams, he swiftly attached the device to the unsuspecting droid. Then he straightened back up and moved to the next cart where he repeated the charade. After he had checked all four carts, he harrumphed indignantly and returned to his original position.

When the lift doors on the far side opened moments later, they followed the mouse-like droid into the huge storage hangar. Long rows filled with all types of storage bins branched off from the central passage. Various types of labor droids moved up and down the aisles, gathering up whatever items their orders required into large crates moved about by the same type of hovercrafts the group of rebels was using.

Further along, rows of cooling chambers replaced the rows of open shelves. The MSE-6 led them down the second aisle and stopped at the hatch to the chamber at the far end. They quickly arranged the four carts to both sides of the walk space and in the dead center. Ron pulled out a small handheld scanner. After he had ensured that they were unobserved by any electronic surveillance system, he tapped lightly on the container next to him. The others followed suit. Once the panels at the bottom of the metal crates had slid aside, the rest of the rescue team and R5-O7, their heavily customized astromech droid, emerged from their hiding places.

By the time, the barrel-shaped droid had accessed the panel beside the cold chamber and located the detention block that held their imprisoned comrades, the rebels had changed into the disguise required for the second stage of their plan. When a couple of labor droids, scheduled to unload the supplies and transfer them into the cold chamber, rounded the far corner of the aisle, they quickly stepped aside to allow a naval officer and his group of six stormtroopers to pass them. A lonely green and yellow astromech droid was trailing the partial squad, emitting upset bleeps as it tried to catch up to the fast-moving humans.

* * *

"So, he's finally given up on them," the officer in charge of detention block 128 muttered as he studied the orders the officer in command of the group of stormtroopers had referred to on the display before him.

Ron favored him with a quizzical look, but refrained from commenting.

"Could have told him from the first look at that lot that it would be a waste of time," the officer continued. "At least, you don't have to bother anymore with the whole bunch of them. Only two left after the last round of interrogations. The order says nothing about the bodies. Just ignore them. We'll take care of them when the others are gone." Then he turned to one of his men. "Lieutenant Mors, take them to cell A‑48. The prisoners should be able to walk on their own. Inform me if that's not the case." With an inviting gesture, he indicated Ron and his men to follow the young officer down the corridor to the left of his command station. Then he turned his attention back to his display.

"Whom was he talking about?" Ron inquired in a low voice as he strode down the hallway beside Mors, followed by his troopers.

"You are not stationed on the ship?"

"No, just arrived for the prisoner transport." It was the story they had decided would cause the least suspicion.

"Oh, then you probably don't know. He was talking about Lord Vader. You know that this is his flagship, don't you?" The look the young lieutenant gave him held a slight amount of contempt for the obviously ignorant fellow officer.

"Sure, but he's not always on board personally, right?" Ron barely managed to respond, taken aback by the mention of the dreaded Sith Lord.

"Not always, but often enough," Mors retorted smugly.

Any further conversation was cut off by their arrival at cell A-48. Mors punched the access code into the panel beside the door, then the hatch opened and the young officer motioned Ron to step inside. The sight that greeted him met the rebel leader's worst expectations. It was one of the larger holding cells, but, nonetheless, it was only equipped with three bunks. The two prisoners who had survived the treatments of the past three days were sitting on the floor showing their respect for their dead comrades in relinquishing the hard metal racks to them.

For a moment, Ron was relieved that he did not recognize either one of the bedraggled men as they gazed up at him with bleary, bloodshot eyes. At least, his worry that they might betray him unwittingly through their reaction at seeing him proved to be unfounded. Apparently, they had belonged to the group that had arrived just a few days prior to the Imperial attack. Then he realized what this spelled out for the young woman several feet behind him. Neither one could be her boyfriend. He could only hope that she handled that realization just as well as she had the whole rescue trip so far.

He stepped aside and motioned the foremost couple of his men to force the first of the prisoners to his feet and get him ready for transport. A few moments later, they had removed both men from the cell, shackled them with electronic handcuffs and wedged them in between the three sets of troopers. They had not met with any resistance from the prisoners. Even if the questioning had not provided the Imperials with any useful information, it had certainly broken their resistance and left them drained of any inner strength.

Leaving the three dead comrades behind, they marched them toward the command center at the entrance to the detention block. They were just getting ready to enter the turbolift when the officer in charge of the detention block called out to them, "Hey, where do you think you are going?"

The group stopped dead in their tracks and Ron turned to favor the man, several years younger than himself, with a quizzical expression. "Just following our orders," he replied unsure what they might have overlooked.

"Is this your first prisoner transfer?" Was there a slight undertone of suspicion in the officer's voice?

Ron quickly nodded his confirmation, jumping to this unexpected provision of as good an explanation for his oversight as any he could have come up with himself. "What did I forget?" he questioned with a sheepish expression.

With an exasperated sigh, the officer pointed to a small hole beside his workstation. "You forgot to sign out the prisoners." Then he shook his head in disgusted mockery as he waited for Ron to remove his code cylinder and insert it into the interface. "I guess we both know now why you are still a lieutenant at your age, don't we?" he muttered more to himself than to those around him, but obviously no longer suspecting anything amiss.

Serina had tensed together with the rest of the rescue team. Had R5-O7 been able to program the security device with a working clearance code? If not, their cover would blow within the next few seconds and they would have to act swiftly. And they would hardly get a chance to return to their ship if that happened.

Time slowed to a crawl as the small metal cylinder connected with the computer of the detention block and transmitted its clearance code into the system. The tension became nearly unbearable and Serina's hand tightened around the grip of her blaster rifle. With all the power of her mind, she willed the code to check out properly, but the computer was not a sentient being that could be influenced through the Force. At least not in any way the young woman was aware of.

With a slight plopping sound, the code cylinder popped back out of the interface. Whether it had been the programming of R5-O7 or the intervention of her master, Serina would probably never discover, but she heaved a silent sigh of relief when the officer nodded his approval at whatever his screen displayed.

"Ok, now you can leave," he finally commented, his voice dripping with scorn for the incompetence he perceived in the older fellow officer.

Ron grabbed the small metal tube and slipped it back into the pocket near the shoulder of his uniform. Then he gave the other officer a quick salute and motioned his group of stormtroopers and the prisoners in their midst to enter the still waiting turbolift. After he had followed them inside, the doors slid shut and the cabin started its rapid descent into the bowels of the huge vessel. Only then did the rebel leader allow himself a deep sigh of relief. This had been a close call. Once they returned to _Telos_ , he would see to it that R5-O7 would get a really long oil bath. The little droid surely deserved it!

* * *

The main corridor leading back toward the hangar bay was bustling with activity, but nobody took any notice of the group of stormtroopers and their prisoners as they exited the turbolift. When they drew close to a small maintenance locker a few meters down the hallway, a green and yellow astromech droid emerged just ahead of them and they followed him for a few hundred meters until he stopped in front of another lift. This one would bring them down further into the bowels of the ship and closer to the hangar.

But they had no intention of heading there just yet. Once the doors had closed and the cabin started its descend, R5-O7 connected itself to the lift control. A moment later, their descent was interrupted as the lift came to an abrupt halt. With a series of whistles, the green and yellow droid confirmed that the communication between the surveillance system of the lift and the rest of the ship was effectively jammed. But they had to hurry. If the cabin didn't start to move again within the next few minutes, somebody was bound to check on them.

"There will be a minor change of plan," Ron informed his group as some of them started to remove their stormtrooper armor. "Mils, Norec and Sera: you'll continue down to the storage area with R5-O7 and get the containers, just as we had planned. Boris, you will go with them in my stead."

After receiving affirmative nods from those addressed, he turned to the former prisoners. Their hand-cuffs had already been removed and one of the other rebels had pulled out a medpac to give them some stimulating shots. "We will get you dressed up as stormtroopers. The medication should help you bear up until we arrive at the ship. Do you think you can manage?"

Two more affirmative nods, then he continued, "The container group uses the maintenance corridor and gets rid of the outfits we don't need any longer along the way. It should take you at the most thirty minutes to get back to the hovercarts. It took us about fifteen minutes to get there from the ship, so you should be starting to upload the containers in about forty-five minutes. That gives the rest of us some time to kill before we enter the hangar bay. Now hurry!"

The rest of the hustled change of outfits passed by in silence. Everything that needed to be said had been said. A few impatient whistles from R5-O7 urged them to hurry even more. They had barely managed to attach the last parts of the armor to the freed comrades when the astromech restarted the cabin.

Moments later, the doors opened onto a dimly lit corridor, reserved for droids and their maintenance workers. Serina and the rest of her group - now dressed in the same outfits they had worn as delivery personnel with additional bright orange vests to identify them as maintenance workers - exited the lift in the wake of their droid. Sensing the non-mechanicals, the lights ahead of them increased to normal brightness. Once they had passed them, they would dim again to conserve energy. Behind them, the lift doors slammed shut.

A short distance down the hallway, R5-O7 stopped and inserted his scomp link into a computer socket on the wall beside them. A few feet away, a panel slid aside and revealed an empty reloading station, probably for a cleaning droid. There was just enough space to stash the parts of the superfluous armors, the helmets and the two blaster rifles. They did not dare to keep those either, even so they would have come in handy should somebody try to stop them. But they would also be a dead giveaway.

Then they continued down the hallway, moving at a quick, determined pace, yet not quite running. Soon, the corridor ended at a T-junction. It did not really matter which direction they chose; after they circled around the upper portion of the hangar bay, both paths would rejoin. Without waiting for directions from his human companions, the yellow and green droid moved into the passage leading to their left and hurried along as fast as his motorized treads allowed. With a resigned shrug, Boris and the rest of his team followed suit.

* * *

"Hey, you there, get those containers back down here!" An angry call drew the group's attention away from the cargo lift. A naval officer with a haughty expression on his face approached them from the center of the hangar bay. A half squad of stormtroopers followed in his wake and spread out in a semicircle around the rear end of the shuttle.

"But they are ..."

With an angry gesture, the officer cut off whatever Boris was about to interpose. "They are empty? That's what you were about to say? They should be. But you know how the saying goes: opportunity makes the thief. So, let's make sure, you didn't succumb to the temptations. Get them down here and open them up!"

Serina cast a quizzical look at Boris. In Ron's absence, he had taken over the leadership of the team. She received a barely perceptible nod. They better complied with the order. There was really no other option available at the moment. With a quick touch to the control panel, she reversed the direction of the cargo lift. The first two containers, that had just disappeared into the belly of the shuttle, reemerged and were lowered back to the ground.

As soon as they touched down, the officer ordered two of his men to examine the metal crates. Once the release button had been activated, the upper two-thirds of the panel on the longer side of the rectangular container swung upward and allowed access to the inside. After a short gaze at the empty shelfs, the trooper raised his weapon and tapped its nozzle against the visible bottom. "What's underneath there?" he bellowed at the young woman.

"Room for the cooling unit, if need be," she informed him. At least, that's what had been down there before they had made room for their hidden cargo. Serina was glad, that she had followed her intuition and had started the uploading with the empty containers. If the officer intended on checking all of them, it would give them some time until he stumbled over their hidden mechanical helper. Time, they desperately needed to come up with a plan, or, otherwise, the discovery of R5-O7 would foil their escape for good.

She cast a furtive glance toward the far side of the hangar bay. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Boris doing just the same. Where were Ron and the rest of their team? Had they been discovered? Serina had no idea what the rebel leader had intended to kill the half hour with, but, hopefully, he hadn't gotten himself and the others in any trouble. Again, her gaze swept across the large expanse of the hangar.

Suddenly, a movement at one of the two _Lambda_ -class shuttles at the other end of the landing field caught her attention. With an inner sigh of relief, she recognized the sturdy man with the dark shock of hair. Apparently, somebody had commandeered the small team and ordered them to oversee the transport of something into one of the shuttles. They had just reemerged from the hatch and had started to march in her direction.

The trooper beside her had managed to lift the lower shelf enough to point his glowrod into the compartment underneath. Of course, it was empty as well. With a loud clang, the metal lid slammed back into place. Then he motioned to the young woman to reseal the container and moved toward the next one in line. The second trooper had done the same inspection on the other crate and was also ready to move on.

As they started the same procedure with the next set of crates, Serina did a quick calculation of their chances. If they proceeded to check all the containers - and there was no reason, why they shouldn't - they would be opening the crate with the droid inside just about the time that Ron and his men arrived. To wait for him to deal with the situation was not an option. He would arrive just a moment too late.

Of course, she could contact her master and request his intervention. A command from the officer's superior would put an immediate end to the whole action. But that would be the same as admitting defeat. She was not about to play that trump unless no other option remained.

She could try to use her innate ability of wishing the man into breaking off the operation. But, for it to work with any kind of reliability, she would have to touch him, just as she had the cadets so many months prior. How could she achieve that without him smelling rat? Her thoughts were interrupted when the trooper finished with the second container and ordered her to close it back up. Then he moved toward the next one. Whatever she decided to do, she would have to do it quickly: time was running out!

Her gaze fell on the container with the droid inside. It was still on top of the hovercart together with its counterpart. The picture of Ron inspecting the provided equipment in the turbolift as a cover for attaching the manipulated restraining bolt to the mouse droid reemerged before her inner eye. And then, she knew exactly what to do.

Moments later, with an ear-splitting thwack, the container with the droid inside crashed to the metal surface of the hanger deck as the repulsors on that side of the hovercart malfunctioned and the whole platform tilted heavily. It came to rest with the opening panel facedown. The second container followed suit only seconds later and came to rest partially on top of the first one.

Serina allowed herself a smug smile. She might still not be very capable of moving large objects through the Force, but she had studied the control panel on the cart while pushing it down to the storage area. The four repulsors on the underbelly of the vehicle provided enough levitation for even the heaviest of loads. And they could be controlled separately, allowing for tilting motions of the platform. Using the Force to deactivate two of them had not been too difficult, even without resorting to strong emotions. The artificial gravity had done the rest.

As she stepped closer to the site of the crash, she purposely overlooked a groove in the metal deck and jostled against the naval officer. As if to steady herself, she grabbed his wrist. Too surprised at the unexpected touch, he didn't shake her off immediately. Still holding fast to him, she started a lengthy apology, while at the same time passing on an entirely different message through the Force: _Those two crates are just as empty as the others. You don't need to have them searched. You don't want to waste your time waiting for someone to lift them back up._

She closely watched his expression as it went from indignant to annoyed and, in the end, even to bored. Finally, she let go of his arm and stepped back, still repeating the same apologies as before. With a dismissive gesture, he cut her off and turned to his troopers.

"Leave those alone, they sounded just as empty as the others." Then he addressed the waiting team-leader. "Guess, you didn't succumb after all. Get those crates onboard and move out."

Boris quickly confirmed the order and nodded toward his waiting team to start the uploading of the containers.

Just as the half squad of troopers lined up behind their commanding officer and started to head back toward the center of the hangar bay, Ron and his men approached. He nodded to the other officer in passing and thought it better to not approach the ship directly, but bypassed it and marched toward the turbolift leading to the storage area. Once they were out of the line of sight of the other team of stormtroopers and their officer, they quickly swung around and approached the supply shuttle from the backside.

Fifteen minutes later, the last of the containers had been stored in the cargo hold of the outdated vessel, those not officially part of the listed crew of the ship had hidden in compartments equipped with special shields to mask lifeform readings, and the pilot had received clearance from the hangar master.

When the shuttle finally dropped through the huge entry port and headed back to the planet below, everybody heaved a deep sigh of relief. They could not believe their luck: the hovercart had malfunctioned just at the right time. And they had pulled it off without the Imperials being any the wiser. Or at least, that's what they thought. But Serina knew better.


	11. Icy Pickup

**Icy Pickup**

(9 BBY)

"I still can't believe you guys pulled it off!" Revan, the younger of the two extricated rebels lifted his glass of lumin ale and offered cheers to his rescuers. "And you know what's the craziest part about that whole action?"

Everybody gazed at him expectantly. Nearly a whole day had passed since their successful return from the _Exactor_. Shortly after they had landed at the supply company and disappeared into the sewer system, the Imperials had redoubled their efforts of finding the rebel headquarter. Apparently, they had finally realized that somebody had snatched their prisoners away from right under their noses. But, so far, none of the search efforts had even come close to the well-hidden base below one of the major city plazas.

After he had received the warranted prompting to continue, he added, "That Vader was on board the whole time and even he didn't figure out what was happening!"

Some surprised gasps followed his revelation, but Ron only shook his head, "Perhaps, he was preoccupied with something else at that time. Or he is just not as powerful as everybody always claims. Even he can't know everything that's happening around him. After all, there are more than forty-thousand people on board." Several of the listeners nodded in agreement, while others still looked doubtful.

"Be that as it may, we did pull it through. Since you've had a chance to recover somewhat in the past hours, I think it's time now for the whole story. I'm sure, we all - and some of us in particular," he cast a sympathetic glance at the young woman at the other end of the table, "are burning to find out what happened at the base. Of course, also what happened on board of that ship. And especially, do you have any idea why that Sith Lord is here personally?" There were more agreeing nods all around the table.

Although Serina knew the answers to most of these questions firsthand, she was certainly burning to hear how the young man would respond to that last inquiry.

"Sure," Revan did not hesitate to comply, "but I fear, you will be somewhat disappointed. We, that is Darrel, the other three and myself, arrived at the base about a day before the Imperials attacked. We had just gotten settled in, when they sounded the alarm. A Star Destroyer had reverted back to realspace close to _Telos_ and we were certain, somebody had either betrayed us or they had tracked us there by some other means. We first helped them set up their defenses, then we had to follow the orders we had from our headquarters. When the attack commenced, we used a little used passage to get back to our ship. But we never made it. We ran smack into an ambush just as we tried to enter the cave that had been turned into a hangar a long time ago. They stunned us and when we recovered from that, the fighting was already over. They marched us the whole way back into the base and out the main entrance, but we didn't notice any other survivors. They were busy setting charges to sensible structures, so I assume, they wanted to blow the whole thing up."

For a moment, he paused and looked expectantly at his attentive listeners. "Apparently not right away, but about a day later, right Sera?" Ron directed everybody's gaze at the young woman.

Serina nodded in confirmation. "I heard and felt the explosion during my trip back. I'd say, it was about half a day after they took you to the shuttle."

At Revan's surprised expression, Ron relayed to him what had caused the young woman to join up with them some days prior.

"I'm really sorry," Revan shook his head in dismay, "I'm sure nobody else survived the attack and they didn't take anyone besides us five up to the Star Destroyer."

Serina nodded with a somber expression, "I figured that already when we got to your cell. I had been pretty far away from the base and all I had seen was somebody with light hair and about the right size. I guess, the rest was just wishful thinking." Then a wistful smile softened her features. "But at least, I could convince Ron to start that rescue mission. Even if Jorig is dead, you are not. And that does hold some comfort for me. The effort was worth something, after all."

Revan agreed wholeheartedly and so did the others gathered at the table. "It sure was. Well, when we got to the ship, Vader was already waiting for us. They locked the others up, but they started right away with questioning me. It was kind of strange: Vader had some assistant, that operated the interrogator droid. It wasn't a Navy guy either, I couldn't even tell if it was a man or a woman, black robe, black cowl, never looked at me directly, never spoke a word.

And then something really strange happened: whenever Vader inquired about our mission in any detail, I blacked out. Happened quite a few times. I guess they finally gave up on me. When I woke up after the sixth or seventh time, they were both gone. Troopers got me some time later and took me to the cell. Then they started with the others. And you did see the results. Only Darrel managed to survive somehow. When you guys showed up, we thought for sure, we were both goners. Darrel wouldn't have survived another round of interrogation and with me blacking out like that, I figured they would give it one more shot and then get rid of me. But..." again he paused for greater effect, "it wasn't them, it was you all. You should have seen that truckload you took off my mind when you stopped the turbolift!"

The rest, of course, was history. Ron recapped it quickly for those who hadn't heard it before. Then he turned his attention back to Revan. "So, you do know, what Vader is here for?"

"I guess I do," the young man replied. "We did have a passenger on board. My orders had been pretty plain: I was to be his only contact. The others on board never even met him. I first brought them to the base, then I took him to a place way up north, in the polar region. I dropped him off there and promised to pick him back up after a week. Then I returned to the base. About a day later, the Imperials attacked."

"Who was he? The latest report we received was quite vague about helping someone to arrive shortly. From between the lines, I figured they were talking about a Jedi, but I could be wrong."

 _A Jedi! That explains Vader's obsession with finding him!_ Serina was certain that Ron had interpreted the report just fine. But what was the guy looking for up in the polar region?

"I think so," Revan confirmed. "From the way, he dressed. And how he talked, all refined and somehow quaint. And after I had dropped him off and got ready to leave, the wind caught his robe and there was an object dangling from his belt that look suspiciously like a lightsaber. So, yes, I think that's exactly what he is. But he is already quite old, at least up in his eighties, and yet, not frail at all. Pretty tough for his age." There was some definite admiration in the young man's voice.

"You were to pick him back up after a week?" Ron inquired.

Revan nodded. "Actually, he's expecting me tomorrow, if I'm not mistaken. But I don't have a vessel and with all the Imperials hanging around, I have no idea how to accomplish that."

"Don't worry," the rebel leader assured him, "you might not, but we do. We'll pick him up tomorrow and then we'll find a way to get all three of you offplanet." With a slap on Raven's back, Ron rose to his feet. "You just get some more rest. And tomorrow, we'll pick us up a Jedi." Then he rushed from the common room. There was still much to be arranged before he could make good on his promise.

* * *

After they departed from their last delivery stop, the landscape below them quickly turned from the greens and browns of the temperate region to a mottled dark-brown with greyish blotches. This was a wilderness, only visited by hunters or those given to cold weather hiking. It did not take long for the white to gain the upper hand and soon they were flying across an icy expanse, only broken up by the occasional ice covered boulder. After some more minutes, the landscape below them changed again and turned into a mountain range of medium height. Every now and then, their vessel was buffeted by strong cross-winds and the last half hour turned into a quite bumpy ride.

They had left the headquarters long before sunrise and had travelled for nearly one and a half hours in the sewer system before emerging to the street level through the basement of a small courier company. From what Ron had told them on the way, the business was one of their sham firms, established to provide some real income for their operation and official employment for some of their folks. He had arranged for a delivery route that would take them in several stops to the border of the polar region. Once there, they would be out of the regular observation grid of the Imperial forces and could proceed directly to the destination Revan had provided him with.

Since they would be limited to a small-sized courier vessel, the team Ron had assembled consisted only of the pilot, who was officially working for the company - just for the case that they were inspected by the Imperials -, himself and Revan, of course, and Boris, one of the most experienced fighters of their group.

Although it had taken more convincing than for the rescue mission, Serina had managed to be added to the team as well. "I really want to come along," she had told the rebel leader, "I feel so useless here, and I don't really know what to do with my life now that Jorig is dead. Perhaps, that Jedi can help me. I might even leave _Telos_ together with him and Revan." Whether she had really convinced him or if he had just had pity on her because of her "loss", Serina wasn't sure, but it hadn't mattered one bit. She was coming along and that was all, that counted.

As soon as they had left _Malakan_ , the young woman had activated a small tracking device in her pocket: two times on, two times off and then a permanent signal on a seldom used frequency. Vader would be looking for it and he'd be interpreting it correctly: nobody would bother them until they reached their destination.

The sun was already getting close to the horizon, when they finally approached the coordinates Revan had provided. Serina opened herself up to the Force and directed her attention toward the facility hidden forever in the ice-covered wilderness. Prevalent and closest were the presences of her comrades in the shuttle, but she shunted them to the edges of her perception. There was hardly any life outside their own sheltered environment and certainly nothing higher developed than some local snowcats or the likes.

And yet, there was most certainly a ripple in the otherwise calm surface, as if a presence was lurking just underneath, cloaking itself with the quietness of the surrounding wilderness. Even, if she hadn't put any trust in Revan's opinion, she would have been absolutely certain now: the man, Revan had dropped off a week prior, was definitely a Jedi!

If he was covering up his presence in this fashion, then he had sensed her already much earlier. She better got ready for the upcoming confrontation! Serina removed the satchel from her back and started rummaging around in it.

"Looking for something?"

She looked up and saw Boris casting a curious glance at her from the front row of passenger seats. "I'm pretty sure, I still have one of those energy bars in there," she gave him a pained expression. "My stomach is grumbling so loudly, they can probably hear it back in _Malakan_!" With an elated outcry, she pulled a squarish object, sealed airtight in a blue metallic wrapper, from the satchel. "My lifesaver," she exclaimed as she tore the package open and stuffed half of the nutrition bar into her mouth.

With a broad smile on his face, Boris turned back around and mumbled something to the rebel leader in the seat beside him. Neither of them noticed the other object Serina removed from her bag: a metal handle, covered with ancient carvings, just a few inches longer than her hand. In the cover provided by her satchel, she slipped the weapon into the deep side pocket of her borrowed parka. Then she downed the rest of the energy bar and sat the bag back down at her feet.

After circling the landing site a second time, the courier transport settled down on the wide icy expanse between the four obviously artificial towers, arranged at equal distances around what appeared to be the only entrance to the facility hidden beneath the perpetual ice.

"Mical," Ron addressed the young pilot, "keep the engine running. We shouldn't be long. Boris," he turned to the middle-aged rebel beside him, "you stay with him. I hope we can keep in contact, once we are inside. If any trouble approaches, inform us immediately." Both men nodded in confirmation as Ron opened the passenger door of the vessel.

Serina shouldered her satchel and pulled the hood of her parka deep into her face. Then she followed the older man into the frozen wilderness outside, the door resealing behind her. Revan had already left the driver cabin and was plowing ahead of them through several inches of fresh snow toward the ice-covered structure that housed the entrance to the turbolift. Whatever lay below the surface had to be ancient, but the area right in front of the lift doors, at least four meters wide and three meters deep and absolutely unaffected by the adverse weather conditions surrounding it, was proof that the machinery inside was still working. If the information, which she had gathered the night before from the various databanks accessible to the rebels, was correct, the complex had once been the hub of the polar irrigation system, nearly four thousand years prior. But there had been no hint in the records as to what could cause a fugitive Jedi to visit this secluded and abandoned location. It would certainly be interesting to find out.

For a moment, Serina considered her options. Should she send the signal for the attack now or wait until she had seen the Jedi face to face? On the other hand, there was no guarantee that the signal of her tracking device could penetrate the walls of the facility once they had descended into its depths. And yet, once the attack started, her cover would most certainly be blown. If the Jedi was not down below them, her mission had failed and her master did not take failure lightly. More than a few naval officers had found that out the hard way throughout the past ten years. She was not about to join their ranks. Very well: she would wait with the signal. If she had to return to the surface to send it later on, she would just have to find some way of doing so.

The moment, they stepped into the area right in front of the lift doors, the winds that had buffeted them and the constant light snowfall were cut off. Serina's assumption proved true: the low level magnetic shield, that protected the entrance from the onslaught of nature, was still operational. Before they had a chance to even study the activation panel next to the lift, the doors slid open, revealing an empty, dimly lit cabin. Without hesitation, the threesome stepped inside.

The trip down to the main level of the facility did not take long. Soon, the doors reopened granting them access into a large, circular room with a thick pillar in the center. Three exits led into other portions of the station. The illumination was just as dim as in the turbolift, but it could not hide the blaster marks on the walls and on the floor. There had been a fight, but there was no way of telling if it had been years or centuries prior. At least, except for the marks, no other signs remained. Either it had been a really long time ago with everything having decomposed in the meantime, or somebody had done a thorough clean-up job afterwards.

Although Serina could still sense a presence nearby, the Jedi was nowhere to be seen. But at least, her awareness pointed her into the right direction.

"Let's split up," Ron suggested, "each of us takes one of the exits. We need to find him and get back out of here quickly, before the Imperials discover us."

Revan agreed. "I'll take that one," he stepped toward the door to the left of the lift. It opened at his approach and reclosed once he had stepped through it.

Serina pointed toward a ramp visible through the opening right across the room. "I'll check over there."

Ron motioned her to go ahead as he turned toward the last remaining exit.

Serina walked around the central pillar and stepped onto the ramp. It led across a catwalk into another circular room. Several chairs had been arranged in a circle around an open space in the middle. Just as in the central hub, there were various signs on the chairs, the floor and the walls of whatever fight had taken place at the facility. For a moment, Serina stood there staring at the curious sight. Where had she seen a room just like this one before? She dug through her memories, but came up empty. No, it hadn't been a picture or a place she had visited. Where had she seen it then?

"Fascinating, isn't it?" a voice from the opening at the opposite side of the room interrupted her musings. She looked up and gazed at the man who had just stepped into the large chamber. He was old, at least in his mid to late eighties. A thinning shock of white hair framed a wizened, kind face. But his poise belied his obvious age. There was still an inner strength to his appearance, no signs of being bowed down by his years.

"Have you ever seen a picture of the council chamber in the Jedi Temple on _Coruscant_?" he continued as he walked toward her. "Probably not. You must have still been a child when the council was disbanded. I don't even know if the chamber still exists."

A picture flashed through Serina's mind. However, it was not one of her own memories. That's why she hadn't thought of it before. No, it was a scrap gathered in the wake of a most pleasurable activity. But it was a memory connected with conflicting emotions, with much anger, strong defiance and yet also distress and perhaps even some regret. She pushed the picture aside and accepted the proffered hand, careful not to use her innate abilities. They would have disclosed much more than she wanted the old man to ever become aware of.

"I'm Sera. We are here to pick you up."

"I'm Tiron," he introduced himself. "Did Revan bring you here?"

Serina nodded. "Yes. He lost his shuttle a few days back and Ron, the leader of a group of dissidents in _Malakan_ , offered to help him pick you up. But come, we'll meet the others in the central chamber." Then she turned and headed slowly back the way she had come.

The old man fell in step beside her. "So, it's the three of you that came?" he inquired.

"Yes, and there are two more up on the plateau with our vessel."

As they continued the next few steps in silence, Serina slipped her left hand into her pocket. Off, on, off, on, off, on. She counted quietly to five and repeated the sequence. "So," she addressed the older man with a quizzical sideways glance, "have you found what you were looking for?"

A curious smile played on his lips as he replied, "I have now."

Even so Serina continued to gaze at him expectantly, he apparently felt no need to expound further. Before they stepped into the central room, she quickly repeated her signal just as a precaution. Then she cast a furtive glance at her chronometer. Within the next ten minutes she would discover if her signal had been received. If nothing happened within that time, she would have to find a reason good enough to allow her to return to the plateau ahead of the others.

As they waited for Ron and Revan to return, Serina tried to strike up another conversation with the old Jedi. "What kind of place was this? There must have been a fight from those marks there. Do you have any idea when that took place and why?"

Tiron nodded. "I certainly do. It used to be a Jedi Academy, founded about four thousand years ago. And it was still in use when the Clone Wars started. I cannot be certain, when that fight took place, but it must have been shortly after the declaration of the Empire. Since then, the place has obviously been deserted."

"Deserted indeed," Ron agreed from the other side of the room as he and Revan emerged together from the entrance to the right of the turbolift. "Those Jedi put up a pretty good fight. There are signs all over the place. But someone cleaned up afterwards. No bodies, not even personal belongings of whoever lived here. It's a real pity they ruined the hangar controls back there. Otherwise, we could have brought the shuttle inside." He stepped up to the old man. "I'm Ron," he introduced himself as he shook Tiron's hand.

"I'm Tiron. Glad to meet you. Revan," he also greeted the younger man at Ron's side. "I heard you lost your transport?"

"It's a long story, but we'll get to that later. We are really short on time," Ron preempted any further explanations.

Tiron bowed his head in agreement. "Then I will hasten to get my things. We can leave shortly." He turned and headed back toward the circular room that resembled the former council chamber on _Coruscant_.

Revan fell in step beside him with the others bringing up the rear. "So," he addressed the old Jedi, "you never told me what you were looking for at this facility. Did you find it?"

Loud enough for the others to hear as well, Tiron explained his mission. "First you must know, that, as a young man, I was a Jedi historian, traveling the galaxy in search for information about our past, Jedi artifacts and the likes. But in later years, I worked as a recruiter for children with a strong potential in the Force. My previous research did me good services during that time. I was able to locate a considerable number of candidates and, once they had passed the initial examinations, I convinced many a parent to allow me to take their child to the Jedi Temple on _Coruscant_. But I never was much of a fighter, at least, I was no match for many young Jedi knights.

So, when the Clone Wars erupted, I preferred to continue what I was doing and didn't get involved in the war. Besides, I was already past seventy and nobody really expected me to. When the Empire was proclaimed and the Emperor and his minions wiped out the whole Jedi Order, when all those clonetroopers turned on their Jedi commanders, I was on an insignificant planet out on the Rim. It took several weeks before I even realized what had happened. For the next months, I just stayed out of sight of any military and tried to live a normal life.

But nobody ever came looking for me. Perhaps, the Emperor figured that I had died of old age in the meantime or that I was not worth the trouble of finding me. So, I decided to return to what I had been doing before Palpatine seized power over the known galaxy. I started travelling around in search for those with a potential to use the Force.

But I was no longer looking for young children. I was already old and there would not have been enough time to train them properly. So, I started looking for those close to adulthood, about the age of our young lady here. I did find some and started to train them in the ways of the Force. And then, I lost them, one after another, to the Empire. Dark Jedi showed up, Inquisitors they are called. Three times I barely escaped their hands, but my young charges never made it. Two of them just disappeared, the third one was killed."

For a moment, his voice faltered as the pain of losing those young padawans washed over him. They had walked through the council chamber and across another catwalk leading to the far back of the facility. As they drew near to the chamber ahead of them, it became obvious quickly that this must have been the place where the inhabitants of the facility had taken their final stand against their attackers. Besides the blaster marks visible also in the other rooms, there were large areas scourged black by detonations. The heavy main doors had been forced open by some kind of battering ram: large pieces were missing and had left jagged edges along the opening blasted into the doors.

Tiron led them inside. Most of the building was taken up by a huge circular chamber. It appeared to have been used for training purposes or meditative exercises. Right behind the entrance on both sides, narrow hallways led into the space between the chamber and the outside walls. The signs of the fight became much less prominent as they followed the old Jedi into a well-preserved area directly behind the central room. There were several terminals set in the outside walls, most of them, however, were apparently out of order. Below one of the two still active ones, Tiron had set up his camp. A thin mat had served him as a resting place. A grey crate contained his supplies. The rest of his belongings lay in a heap beside a small brown duffel bag.

The old man stepped up to the terminal. He unplugged a datapad from the computer interface and stuffed it into his bag along with the other items. Then he rolled up the mat and placed it into the still half-filled crate. He picked up the container and handed it to Revan. Then he shouldered his bag and motioned to Ron to lead the way back toward the central hub.

"You still haven't told us what you were looking for in this place," Revan prompted the old man to continue his story as they stepped back onto the catwalk.

"I guess, I haven't," Tiron agreed with a sad smile on his face. "But there are a few things you need to know first. Like I mentioned before, this facility had been a hidden academy of the Jedi for close to four thousand years. It was specialized in data collection and analysis, but it was also visited by many Jedi Knights and their padawans, some seeking information, others just a place for rest and recuperation, meditation, and training. Over the years, much knowledge was accumulated, especially about the Jedi Order and its members.

Now, not everyone who started the training did automatically become a Jedi Knight. Some were never chosen as padawans, others left the Order before achieving knighthood. Many of those lived normal lives, got married and had families. Some of their offspring would again be sensitive to the Force. But their names remained in the databanks and oftentimes also the names of their descendants. And that was, what I came looking for. Clues as to where to look for others I could train in the Force. But had I known you would be bringing me the perfect candidate, I could have saved myself all that trouble."

They had just reached the middle of the council chamber and Revan stopped dead in his tracks, nearly dropping the crate. Tiron followed suit and so did Ron and Serina. They turned around to face the old Jedi.

Revan's startled gaze went from Serina to Ron and back to the young girl. But Ron caught on much faster than the younger man. With an astonished and at the same time slightly accusing tone, he addressed the woman beside him, "That hovercart: it didn't break down on accident, did it? That was you, wasn't it?"

With an apologetic expression and a shrug of her shoulders, Serina admitted, "I guess so. I couldn't let those troopers find R5-O7, now could I?"

"But why didn't you tell us," Ron's lack of understanding was obvious.

"I'm sure, our young friend had her reasons," Tiron averted any further discussion. "But we should hurry now, if it's not too late already."

"Too late for ...," Ron started to inquire when his comlink suddenly burst into action.

"Ron, can you hear me?" Boris' voice carried a distinct tone of alarm in it.

The rebel leader pulled a small oblong device from his pocket and replied, "Yes, Boris, what's the problem?"

"They've found us!" A low whine could be heard in the background of the transmission. "We are under attack!" The whine had turned into a screeching noise and loud blaster fire erupted as Boris and the pilot tried to shoot down the attacking vessels. But it had only been a reconnaissance flight; no shot had been fired from above. That would not be the case on the next run-up.

"Boris, get out of there," Ron urged his comrade as the whine of the ion drives faded into the distance. "You are sitting ducks in that shuttle!"

But before he even got an answer, the whine returned, accompanied by the sound of impacts, closing in quickly on the easy mark. "No more time," Boris yelled as he started to fire at the attackers.

Slight tremors could be felt through the soles of their boots as they followed the events many meters above their heads over the comlink. Within moments, it was over. A final scream and the screeching of tearing metal, as the laser blast tore into the small transport. Then there was only the low hissing of the useless comlink.

Dead silence descended over the group as Ron switched it off and stuffed it back into his pocket. The tremors had stopped. But it would not be the last they had heard of the Imperials. With their transport gone, they had just as little a chance of escape as the last occupants of the facility, some years prior. Ron's face hardened as he centered his gaze on the old man. "How did you know?" he demanded as he pulled out his blaster and pointed it at the Jedi.

If Tiron felt in the least bit threatened by the much younger man, he did not show it. With a mild expression on his face and his hands staying pointedly clear of his lightsaber, he shook his head lightly. "Now, what reason would I have to inform the Imperials of our whereabouts? It is more likely that they are looking for me than for any of you, isn't it?" He gave the rebel leader a moment to consider, then he added, "But we should move into the central hub and block the upper entrance into the turbolift. It should slow them down a little, but it will not keep them out for long. But we have to hurry!"

Ron nodded in agreement. "Now, if it wasn't you," he swung his weapon toward the place where Serina had stood only moments prior. But the young woman was nowhere to be seen. "Where did she go?" the rebel leader exclaimed as his eyes searched the chamber.

"She won't be far," Tiron assured him as he stepped to his side, placing a placating hand on the raised blaster. "You will not need that. She poses no danger to you or Revan." He gently pushed the weapon downward until Ron conceded reluctantly and slipped the blaster back into its holster.

"But she does to you, doesn't she?"

"Not at the moment," the old Jedi replied and hurried toward the central hub. The others followed quickly. They had just cut the power to the upper doors of the turbolift, when a low vibration informed them that an Imperial assault team had landed on the platform above.

"You should find yourself a good hiding place, perhaps back at the meditation chamber or close to the hangar. This is not your fight, it is mine. They might not bother you if you stay out of it."

"I doubt we'll get off that easily. Sera knows that we are here. And we can't just let you fight it out all alone." The discomfort Ron felt at that thought was obvious.

"But you must. Like I said, it's not your fight."

"You should listen to him!" a familiar voice called to them from the far side of the room.

With a quick motion, Revan cast the crate he had still been carrying aside and pulled out his weapon, but Ron beat him to it. Pulling down Tiron with him into the protection of the central column, he slipped around its protruding base toward the right while Revan moved toward the left. Once they caught sight of the young woman, they leveled their blasters at her.

Serina was standing just a few feet outside the hub in the middle of the catwalk leading to the council chamber. Her appearance had changed drastically. The borrowed parka was gone, replaced by her black robe. The hood was pulled deeply into her face. Although she had kept the blaster attached to her belt, she was now holding a quite different weapon in her hand. With a sizzling noise, the orange-red blade emerged, casting an eerie glow on her features.

When she took a step toward them, Revan lost his nerves. Several blasts left his weapon, but they never reached the young woman as she deflected them into the walls.

"Stop it," Tiron commanded with an authority in his voice totally unlike his previous demeanor as he rose to his feet. With quick strides, he moved around Ron and toward the young woman. Then he reached with his mind for their weapons and forced them downwards. "I told you, she poses you no threat. Now, leave us and find yourself a place to hide!" Then he released the two men out of his control and turned back toward Serina, his hand resting lightly on the lightsaber at his side. Both men hesitated for another long moment, but finally they complied and moved toward the exit to the right of the lift doors.

Serina deactivated her weapon. For long minutes, they just stood there gazing at each other in silence. Occasional tremors informed them, that the troops above were busy working on the resisting doors of the turbolift. It wouldn't be long now before her master arrived. Serina had sensed his presence already back at the council chamber, even before she had slipped out of sight behind one of the large chairs. And so had Tiron. She could sense a certain resignation in the old man. He had managed to escape so often, but he knew he wouldn't this time. But he was not even angry about the situation or her involvement in its coming about.

Then the old man's gaze fell upon her weapon. With a gasp, he took a step toward her and reached for it. Her quick step backwards and the movement of her thumb toward the activation button stopped him dead in his tracks. "Where did you get that lightsaber?" he demanded to know.

Serina looked down at the weapon in her hand and a sad smile softened her features as she thought of her first teacher. "It belonged to an old woman on _Taanab_ ," she replied.

"What was her name?" An apparently old pain crept into the Jedi's voice as he requested further details.

"Her name was Tantra, Tantra Boos."

"And how did you get it? Did you kill her for it?" Accusation mingled with even more pain. Had he known her?

"Of course, not. Tantra was my teacher for more than two years." Serina's indignation at the absurd assumption was obvious in her voice. "She made me take it right before she passed away. I didn't want to accept it, after all, it had belonged to the love of her life, but she wouldn't take no for an answer." With a quizzical expression, she gazed into the old man's face. "Did you know her?"

Out the corner of her eye, she noticed a bright red blade piercing through the barred doors of the turbolift. A sizzling noise accompanied the eerie sight as the metal melted on contact with the blade. Tiron must have heard the noise as well, but although his gaze was still centered on her, his attention was elsewhere and far from anything that was happening at the far side of the chamber.

"Love of her life, is that what she told you?" he inquired, but his voice had acquired the absentminded note of someone reviewing memories of a time long passed.

Serina nodded in confirmation while constantly keeping an eye on the progress of her master's blade.

"Did she live a good life?" His attention finally turned back to the young woman in front of him. There was an urgency in his voice. Though he had never turned to look at the lift, he was certainly aware that his time was running out.

"I think she did. She married a few times, but never had any children. But she also never suffered need. And she never forgot you or what you taught her. She died with the conviction that you had preceded her to the other side and that she would meet you there again. With her dying breath, she gave me her last advice: _Remember_ , she said, _luminous beings we are, not this crude matter_. Then her spirit passed from her like a sunny breeze blowing to another sky." The memory brought a sad smile to Serina's face. Tantra had been like a grandmother to her and she had loved her dearly.

With a loud slam, a man-sized part of the lift doors was pushed outward from the inside of the cabin and crashed to the floor. Then a black robed, armored figure stepped through the created opening, followed by a squad of his stormtroopers. The white clad soldiers quickly spread throughout the circular chamber as Vader strode toward his young apprentice and the old Jedi.

Before he reached them, Tiron gazed for another moment into Serina's eyes. He saw the truth of what she had told him and her feelings for the woman whom he had been close to leaving the Jedi Order for. "Thank you," he told her with a barely perceptible nod. Then he turned to face the Sith Lord, come to continue his effort of purging the galaxy of the Jedi.

A small gesture of Vader's black gloved hand commanded the young woman to step away from the old man and take her place behind her master. With a few quick steps, Serina complied.

With an angry sizzle, Vader's red blade sprang back to life as he addressed the old man, "Tiron Mors. The famous historian and recruiter. An unexpected pleasure meeting you here. I thought you had met your fate already many years ago."

The old Jedi did not back down under the boding glare of the horrific mask. "A pleasure, I would have gladly forgone," he replied dryly as he reached for his weapon, "but I certainly appreciate the opportunity of meeting your young apprentice. It proved quite enlightening."

 _Urgh_ , Serina thought, _that will require some awkward explanations!_

But Vader didn't bother to have the old man elaborate. Without another word, he raised his weapon and advanced toward him. The old Jedi had told Serina and the two rebels, that he had never been a great fighter. Although it became quickly obvious that he had no chance whatsoever against the man who had even ten years' prior been one of the best fighters the Jedi Order had ever known, he still put up a better fight than the young woman had expected.

For long moments, his green blade deflected Vader's angry attacks, as he allowed the Sith Lord to drive him onto the catwalk and toward the council chamber. Serina had retreated to the line of stormtroopers when the fight commenced, but now she followed the fighters in a respectful distance. At the foot of the catwalk she stopped, her gaze fixed on the face of the old Jedi several meters away from her. For an instant, their eyes met. He lifted his lightsaber as if to salute her and a sad, knowing smile flitted across his face.

Then it was over as his severed body tumbled over the edge of the catwalk and down into the abyss below. For a moment, Vader just stood there, gazing down into the darkness that had swallowed the old man. Then he deactivated his lightsaber and strode back toward the central hub.

"Where are the others?" he inquired.

"Hiding somewhere in the facility," Serina informed him, "but they are not worth the trouble of even looking for them. Their transport is gone and they have no means of contacting anybody." She tried to sound casual, keeping any hint of pity for the two men out of her voice or feelings. It was the least she could do for the men who had befriended her so free of prejudice.

But Vader was not fooled. "Find them and bring them here! Alive!" he commanded the squad leader.

As the soldiers moved toward the doors leading further into the facility, he glared down at her. "Never pity our enemies!"

Serina could sense the cold anger boiling in his dark soul. Dropping to one knee, she bowed down before him. Swallowing hard at the lump that had formed in her throat, she concurred, "Yes, master, no pity for our enemies." A cold dread spread within her. Without a doubt, he would make her pay for her lapse of compassion.

The two rebels put up a good fight, but it was to no avail. Five minutes later, the surviving stormtroopers dragged the two stunned men into the central chamber and dumped them at Vader's feet. He motioned Serina to raise to her feet and join him, as they waited for them to regain consciousness. They didn't have to wait long.

When Ron started to moan, one of the troopers poked him with his blaster rifle and forced him to get to his knees in front of the Sith Lord. Revan followed a few moments later.

"Hey, what are you waiting for? Get it over with!" the rebel leader addressed the black clad figure, his tone reflecting obstinate defiance born of despair. When he didn't get any reaction at all from the Dark Lord, he turned toward the young woman at Vader's side.

But Revan beat him to it. "You were the assistant, weren't you?" his voice oozed with loathing. Then he drew his head back and spat at her. "Sithspawn!" he bellowed at her.

Ron could see the sad apology in the girl's eyes, but he could have cared less. "Yeah, I had always wondered how we managed to pull through that rescue action. But that had been a put-up job all along, hadn't it?" Inadvertently, Serina acknowledged his assumption with a small nod of her head. "Just what I thought." Ron shook his head in disgust. "Should have never let you into our headquarters. Should have let your own people kill you out there in the street. So, what's your reward going to be? Money, power, or are you just a little sithslut, doing it just for the thrill of it, huh?" He was slowly talking himself into a rage. Revan also joined in and for the next few minutes, both men dumped their anger and fear in form of accusations and rantings onto the young woman, calling her every foul name they had ever come across.

At first, Serina stoically endured their tirades. But slowly, the sympathy and pity faded from her eyes and was replaced by anger at their gross misrepresentation of her motives. Did they not realize, that her whole purpose had been to locate Tiron? That she had even tried to convince her master to spare them only moments prior? But, of course, they were quite correct: the moment, they had let her into the headquarters, their ultimate fate had been sealed. And there had not really been anything, she could have done to prevent it.

Again, Revan reared back to spit at her.

"Enough!" Vader cut off any further rants. "You see," he addressed his young apprentice, "your pity was quite uncalled for."

"Yes, master, it most certainly was," Serina agreed, her voice seething with barely contained anger.

"We are done here. Kill them. And afterwards, you will lead the assault on the headquarters. Ensure, that nobody gets a chance to escape." With his black robe twirling into the faces of the kneeling rebels, Vader turned away from them and strode toward the ruined turbolift doors. At a motion of his hand, the stormtroopers followed suit.

Moments later, the young woman was alone with the two kneeling rebels. With deliberate slowness, she removed her lightsaber from her belt and activated the blade. Then she addressed the men a final time. "You know, I really tried to find a way to spare you. But I should have known better. That option never really existed. You died the moment you decided to oppose the Empire. All I'm doing now, is granting reality the proper adjustment." As her seething anger morphed into cold determination, her blade turned into a flash of orange.

* * *

The brown and green globe of _Telos_ had disappeared from the viewports of the _Exactor_ and had been replaced by the eerie strangeness of hyperspace. The jaws of the meditation chamber had closed on the Sith Lord and his young apprentice. The inside pressure had reached the level Vader's damaged lungs required to breathe without the horrific black mask and the air had acquired the medicated smell Serina would always associate with her master.

As soon as the robotic arms had removed helmet and mask, Vader called up the recordings of the assault on the rebel headquarters on the forward holoscreen. It had been a swift and utterly successful action, that concentrated simultaneously on three different locations: the headquarters, the courier service office and the facility of the supply company that had provided the transport for the rescue mission to the _Exactor_. After laying down the strategy for the whole action, Serina herself had led the attack on the underground headquarters.

First, she had arranged her troops in concentric circles around its location within the sewer system, thus ensuring that all escape routes had been blocked. At the same time, several strong concussion charges had been placed on the plaza above. Once everybody had been in position, she had ordered the triggering of the charges. The damage to several of the surrounding buildings had been considerable, but irrelevant. The detonations had caused heavy earthquakes, that collapsed the ceilings within the base, killing many rebels in the process. Most of the survivors had fled into the sewer system, where they had run straight into the firing lines of the troopers. A final sweep of the inside of the headquarters had taken care of the rest of the group and seized their computer records. The local garrison had been charged with sifting through them to locate any rebels absent from the headquarters at the time of the attack as well as any sympathizers or contacts mentioned. Altogether, the whole action had taken a mere three hours.

With a mental command, Vader terminated the recording. As the holoprojection disappeared from the inside surface of the chamber, he swiveled his chair back to face his young apprentice, waiting patiently in the limited space right at the entrance into the hyperbaric capsule. For long moments, he scrutinized her impassive face. Although he took great care to not show it, he was quite pleased indeed. Not so much at her faultless performance during her undercover mission or the assault on the headquarters - he had expected no less of her academic training and her strategic intuition that had once caused the trouble with John Rogards -, but at the feelings he had sensed in her as she had watched the recordings from behind his shoulder. There had been no trace of the sympathy or pity she had still displayed earlier at the former Jedi Academy. The railings of those two rebels had done exactly what he had intended them to accomplish. He had sensed her growing anger that had quickly turned into a cold determination.

Those dark feelings had brought her another step closer to becoming the perfect tool he had always envisioned her to be and he would certainly find ways to ensure that those undesirable, week emotions never got a chance to resurface. Did she realize, how the dark side had intensified her innate strategic abilities during the assault? She might have come up with the same plan for the action without it, but it would have taken her much longer to do so. And she would have lacked the poise with which she had led the troopers into the attack, a self-confidence, that was still evident in her current posture: a respectful submissiveness with a hint of casualness that had not been there before _Telos_.

If those dark emotions had had that effect on her strategic intuition, there was no telling how they might influence her other innate abilities. But there was only one way to find out.

With a swift motion, he pulled the young woman into his lap and grabbed her left hand, placing it on the side of his face that had healed without leaving any of the horrible scars visible elsewhere. With her touch, her sensual desires for him - always existent just below the surface of her usually even-tempered personality, but most of the time carefully reined in - washed over him, amplified by the darkness within her, demanding fulfillment, allowing no restraint or holding back. As her innate abilities replaced the pain always present in his mutilated body with her own pleasurable sensations and her mind plunged them into vision-like memories of their past sexual interactions, all concerns of the present, past or future were blotted out, leaving nothing but a powerful soaring upward in utter ecstasy, except for one fleeting thought: nothing would ever be as desirable as the power he needed to one day achieve his goal of replacing the Emperor, but what this young woman provided him with came closer than anything else.


	12. A Parting of Ways

**A Parting of Ways**

(9 BBY)

The passage from Castle Pradeux to the Naval Crypt was not even dimly lit. It was pitch-black. In profound silence, the long line of cadets, marching in rows of eight abreast, moved slowly, but determined toward the very heart of the range where the "Father of the Navy", Admiral Pers Pradeux, was entombed. Just like all the others, who would celebrate their graduation the following day, Serina oriented herself on the little she perceived of the cadet walking directly ahead of her and marched in step as they had practiced repeatedly during the past weeks. She could clearly sense the awe and elation that filled the hearts of most of the young men and women around her. And yet, although within a few short hours she would have achieved what she had set out to accomplish more than four years' prior, her thoughts continued to stray from the events at hand...

 _"Hey Wanders," Ral was still as obnoxious as during their first year, "guess who's back?"_

 _With an exasperated sigh, Serina turned around and obliged him, "I'm sure you won't shut up until you've told me. So, go ahead, who's back?"_

 _"Remember that weird fellow that came into our cryptology class during the first term?"_

 _"Of course!" Although she tried to keep an extremely bored tone in her voice, her interest had certainly been piqued. Could it be true? "How could anybody forget that guy?"_

 _"Well," Ral was apparently trying hard to raise the suspense despite her dismissive attitude, "he's back. I heard some rumors about him already yesterday, but today I saw him myself when I came back from the library. I wonder, whom he's going after this time."_

 _Serina was wondering the same thing. From what she had come to know, Jerec had shown up at the academy several times in the close to three years that had passed, but she had never been around to run into him. Had he ever figured out her little scheme that had led to the arrest and ultimate demise of Gil Bards? Had he ever discovered her connection to Lord Vader? Not that it would constitute a problem if he had. Ever since the Emperor had accepted her at the levee, there had been no more need to hide her abilities from any of the Inquisitors._

 _"Who cares?" With a shrug, she dismissed the subject and turned back to Pat and the much more interesting issue of the upcoming graduation._

...She had send a one-word, not even encrypted message to her master that same evening, just as he had ordered her to when she had told him about her encounter with the Dark Jedi. Was Vader going to show up at the graduation the following day? What should she do, if Jerec approached her? Would he attempt to eliminate her to deal a blow at her master?

After all, had it not been for Vader, Jerec himself would most certainly have become the Sith apprentice of Darth Sidius upon his return from the _Unknown Regions_ and not just an Inquisitor in the service for the Emperor. From the information, her master had given her, the Miraluka was constantly striving to undermine his position with Palpatine. But so far without any success. To get caught in any dispute between those very powerful rivals was a situation Serina would do anything in her power to avoid.

Her thoughts were brought back to the here and now when she stepped into the dimly lit Crypt at the end of their hour-long walk. It was vast, at least twenty meters wide and some twenty-five meters long. Their branch of service composed about the middle of the many rows of now sixteen cadets each that were taking up position along the wall of the oval chamber with the shrine-like tomb in its dead center. They came to a halt at the farthest point from the entrance and many more rows of cadets marched in behind them. Once everybody had found their place within the naval sanctum and the shuffling stopped, a profound silence settled over the cadets and the small group of officers overseeing the dedication.

Furtively, Serina scanned the assembly, drawing on the Force to grant her a better perception in the dim illumination. At the same time, she reached out with her mind and searched for any disturbance in the Force, any hint, that Jerec was truly close. As the first row of cadets was prompted to step forward to the head of the shrine and speak their vows of dedication to the naval service, Serina suddenly felt her attention drawn to a darkness, a sort of vortex in the otherwise gentle undulations of the Force around her. Keeping her head bowed in devout deference, as their row advanced a step toward the exit, she cast a glance out of the corner of her eye toward the spot her mind had identified as the source of the sensation.

There he was, next to the entrance, right behind the headmaster and the head of flight instructions, a black clad figure blending into the deep shadows of the barely lit hall. And he had his none-existing eyes trained directly at her. Of course, he had to have sensed her probing. He was probably the most powerful Force-wielder besides the Emperor and her master.

But nearly three years had passed since their first encounter. Much had changed since that time. She was no longer the young girl, anxious to stay undetected amidst the mass of students at the academy. The Emperor himself had accepted her as protégé of Lord Vader. She had honed her innate abilities and even accomplished her first mission for her master just a few months prior. It had brought her closer to the dark side, closer than she felt comfortable with at times. And yet, her use of the Force had become more efficient, the inner conflicts some of the tasks, her master had assigned to her, would have caused just a year prior had ceased and she had gained a measure of self-confidence that she had lacked up until the events on _Telos_.

Of course, she would try to stay out of any conflict between those two powerful rivals, but she could and would no longer hide behind an innocent façade or try to mask her true powers. With new resolve, she lifted her head and gazed straight back at the Miraluka, across the wide expanse of the hall that was slowly emptying as row after row of cadets took their vows and departed for the long walk back to the academy grounds. Again, her row moved another step forward.

When, more than an hour later, it was finally her turn to step up to the head of the shrine together with her roommate Pat and fourteen other cadets from their branch, she did it with poise and a faint smile on her lips. Together, they pledged their allegiance to the naval service with the typical phrasing. With a salute to their commanding officers, the group exited the vast hall and started on their long trek through the pitch-black corridor.

Even before the lights from the Crypt disappeared behind them, Serina could sense that somebody was following them. She slowed her steps just enough to allow the others to pull away from her. Soon, they were several meters ahead of her. And from what she could tell, they had not noticed her absence yet. Hopefully, she would be able to catch back up to them by the time they left the passage and reemerged on the academy grounds.

She stopped dead in her tracks and turned to face her pursuer. Behind her, the steps of her comrades receded, while from the direction of the Crypt, the footsteps of the next group of cadets drew closer. Reaching for the Force to aid her vision, she became aware of his looming figure, only a few meters away from her. Obviously, he was also aware of the next group of cadets behind him, because he did not bother to stop. "Walk with me," he growled as he passed her.

Quickly, she fell in step beside him. "What do you want?" she inquired, keeping her voice barely above a whisper.

"Not much, at least, at the moment."

 _Not at the moment, but apparently later on_? Serina thought dryly, but refrained from pressing the issue. For a moment, they continued in silence.

"But perhaps, you might be willing to satisfy my curiosity."

"I'll try," the young woman was not certain where this conversation was leading.

"I'm sure you remember Gil Bards."

"The cadet that tried to rape me?" Of course, she remembered the young man, whom she had lured into her trap, well enough.

"Yes, him. Did you know that he had forced several other young women into sexual relationships and, if they refused, he pointed them out to me as dissidents or Force-sensitives? He wasted quite a bit of my time through that. So, I'm glad you brought this fact to light."

"I can imagine your time is quite valuable."

"It is indeed. But tell me: you were never in danger of truly being raped by him, were you?"

"Well...," of course, that had never been the case, but did she really want to admit that to the Dark Jedi? "probably not," she finally conceded.

"So, it was a set-up, just as I thought all along," Jerec mumbled, more to himself than to the young woman beside him. Abruptly, he changed the subject. "I have followed your progress in the past years. Quite impressive: aide to Lord Vader, even long before graduation; acknowledged by the Emperor himself during a levee; arrested by Admiral Rogards as traitor, but shortly after cleared of all charges while at the same time Rogards and his nephew, a classmate of yours, were executed and their whole family wiped out; seldom at the academy, but always top of the class; and then there was a rumor of a young apprentice who accompanied Lord Vader on a mission a couple of months back and helped him hunt down another of those contemptible Jedi, even led an assault on a rebel base afterwards. I wonder, could that have been you?"

Serina was surprised at all the information about her the Miraluka had bothered to collect. Why did he tell her all of that? What did he truly want from her? "Rogards himself was a traitor and his nephew just picked the wrong side," she replied with a coldness in her voice that even surprised herself. "And you should not listen so much to rumors. Some might be true, but others are not."

She felt him nod thoughtfully at her evasion of the subject, but again he just dropped it in favor of another. "You are quite strong in the Force. Even if you got most of your training in the time since our first meeting, I still should have been able to sense your latent abilities at that time. But I checked you out. There was nothing there. No connection to the Force at all. How is that possible?"

 _Ah_ , Serina thought, _now we are getting to the true purpose of this conversation._ But what should she tell him? The fact that Taozin amulets disrupted the Force-perception of even a Sith Lord or a Jedi Master was perhaps not common knowledge, but it was not really a well-kept secret either. He must have realized already, that it had to have been something of that sort that had protected her. Was his question therefore just a stab into the dark to find out more about her relationship to Lord Vader? At least, he did not try to invade her mind and satisfy his curiosity directly. Apparently, he did fear the repercussions of such an action. Her master did not take lightly to having one of his own violated in such a manner. And besides, Jerec would have certainly been surprised at her own defenses against any such attacks, developed since her encounter with the powers of the Emperor during the levee.

"Have you ever heard of Taozin amulets?" she finally replied. "As a young girl, I had an old woman teach me some basics of the Force and she also told me many stories about the Jedi and the Sith. When I planned to attend the academy, I knew I would have to make sure that nobody would discover my abilities. So, I searched for one of those amulets. And luckily, I found one. I started wearing it right after basic training. But after the levee, I didn't need it anymore." Had she added enough truth into her story to make it credible?

"Taozin amulet," Jerec mumbled thoughtfully, "yes, I've heard of them. Do you still have it?"

"No, I gave it to Lord Vader, when I quit wearing it."

They continued several minutes in silence, before the Dark Jedi asked his final question, "Have you ever considered working for someone else instead of Lord Vader?"

This question took the young woman by surprise, even so she should have seen it coming. Vehemently, she shook her head. "Certainly not," she replied, categorically rejecting even the thought of such a possibility. It was time to end this conversation. "But he might be willing to loan me to you. So, if you are interested in my services, you must talk to Lord Vader about it. You might get a chance to do so after the graduation, if he comes to pick me up personally." Then she quickened her pace to catch up to Pat and the others of her group.

As Jerec fell back behind her, she caught the whisper of a last comment, "I might just do that."

* * *

The night had been short after their return from the Crypt and none of them had gotten much sleep. The excitement over the upcoming event had not helped either. Taking a shower, getting dressed casually, a quick breakfast, getting redressed for the ceremony, ensuring that everything was shining and in perfect order, packing the rest of their personal belongings into their duffle bags, the pre-inspection inspection, more lectures about proper conduct, the real inspection at last, placing their bags outside for the pickup and transport to _Prefsbelt Green_ , assembling in front of their dorms and finally marching to the parade grounds.

Serina was certainly not the only one to heave a sigh of relief when they had finally taken position in front of the tightly filled, temporary grandstands, decked out with banners, flags, and all kinds of regimental heraldry. Wave after wave of TIE fighters soared over their heads, the Regimental Bands played march after march of music composed for just that purpose and the background noise of the parents fortunate and wealthy enough to attend in person rose to a peek as they tried to locate their offspring amid the mass of midshipmen, soon to acquire the rank of lieutenant and depart to their new duty stations.

A light stab of Pat's elbow into her short ribs caught Serina's attention. "Did you see who's there on the platform with Sauro and the other officers?" her roommate whispered.

A barely perceptible nod confirmed that the young woman had also seen the two black clad figures. But she did not bother to tell the only friend she had won during those three years at the academy that she had felt their presence already long before entering the parade grounds.

Silence fell upon the assembly after the last TIE disappeared into its hangar and the headmaster stepped up to the hovering microphone. Even before Sauro opened his mouth and introduced the first of a long list of guest speakers, Serina withdrew mentally from the proceedings and allowed a review of the events of the past few years to pass before her inner eye.

She considered the opportunities she had been granted as Lord Vader's apprentice and aide, the training she had received from him, the tasks she had been assigned and, most of all, her quite special interactions with the Sith Lord, that nobody was allowed to ever find out about except for the Emperor, who had initiated them. Was this the life she had envisioned as a child, buffeted by the visions she had had no control over? Or as a ten-year-old who had lost her parents, only to gain a wonderful friend in her teacher Marc Camon, just to lose him again two years later in exchange for meeting Tantra who would go on to teach her so many wonderful things about the Force and the Jedi? And it hadn't stopped there either. Her whole life had been a circle of losing and gaining. Each new turn of events had brought her closer to her destiny, a destiny, - she was absolutely certain - that was inseparably connected with the black clad figure there on the platform.

Now, what would the next step be? How would Jerec fit into that future? Would her master agree with whatever the Dark Jedi had in mind? If so, would she live up to everybody's expectations? As much as she had been able to hone certain abilities, her overall training was far from complete.

Without bothering to tune into the words of the current speaker, a stout, short individual, an admiral from the insignia visible on the huge holoscreen behind the grandstand that magnified the events on the podium that even those in the rows furthest back could easily discern them, Serina cast a thoughtful glance at the man who had become the center of her whole life. With a sharp rebuke, she called herself back to order. It was futile to worry over what she could not influence at all. If she did not keep her concentration on the tasks at hand, she would be doomed to fail for sure. She had to live up to her master's expectations and so she would. There was no other option. Failure was not acceptable, neither for him nor for herself.

The speeches finally came to a close followed immediately by the announcement of the honor roll and the accomplishments of those cadets listed thereon. Three of the guest speakers had been selected to pass through the ranks and hand the honor batons to those cadets awarded with them. As one of those at the top of her class, Serina's name came up close to the end of the list and she accepted the award with the expected expression of pride, although she could have cared less.

And then, finally, it was over. With three cheers for the Emperor and caps tossed into the air, the ranks broke and chaos erupted. Those with parents and other relatives on site headed for the stands while the others made their way to the waiting hovertrains to head toward _Prefsbelt Green_ and the parties and celebrations prepared for them. For a moment, Serina just stood there, her gaze fixed on the platform and the holoscreen above it, but Pat quickly slipped her arm through her friend's and dragged her along in the wake of the departing masses.

It felt like they had waited for hours when they at last managed to get on board of one of the trains. It was crowded with barely room to breathe. With everybody talking at the same time, any kind of normal conversation became absolutely impossible in the excited din. But Serina didn't mind. She didn't feel like talking and, even so they had made plans for a small party with only a select few of their classmates, she doubted seriously that she would get a chance to go there.

When they got off the train, the bustling activity of _Prefsbelt Green_ greeted them. Several protocol droids were waiting to direct them to their temporary quarters where their belongings had been transferred to during the ceremony. Serina and Pat found themselves in a large guesthouse, that could easily house several hundred visitors. The room, they had been assigned to, was small, but comfortable.

"Nice," Pat sighed as she dropped onto one of the beds. "One night of comfort coming up!"

"Not, if you still plan on going to that party," Serina couldn't refrain from smiling broadly, her thoughts for a moment diverted to somewhat lighter matters.

"Sure enough," Pat grinned, "you are still coming, aren't you?"

The smile faded from Serina's face as she shook her head. "I doubt, I'll get the chance."

She had barely spoken the words, when a chime sounded from the door panel. With an expression of "I told you so!", the young woman walked to the entrance and pressed the activation pad.

"Are you Cadet Wanders?" a waiting shiny protocol droid asked when the doors had slipped aside.

"I am," she confirmed, "you have a message for me?"

"Yes, you are to report to landing platform skyhook five, shuttle pad nine-oh-one, by 1900. Do you want me to show you the way?"

Serina gazed at her chronometer. That did not leave her much time. "You can take me there in a moment," she informed the droid and turned to Pat. "I guess, no party for me tonight. Will you see me off?"

"Sure, I'll join the others later."

A few minutes later, the two young women boarded a hovercab. After depositing her duffle bag in the small cargo-space at the rear of the vehicle, the protocol droid informed his counterpart in the driver's seat of the destination.

"At least, we get a sightseeing tour free of charge," Serina commented dryly as the cab pulled out into the busy traffic of the gaudily illuminated city, "if you like bright, colored lights, that is."

Pat laughed, "You are right, that's about all we are going to see. It's really a pity you have to leave so quickly. Now I can't even tell you where I will be stationed at."

"Don't worry, when I'm back in _Imperial Center_ , I'll check the records. And if you ever get there, you must contact me. And save some shore leave for that time. There is so much I want to show you." She couldn't tell her friend, that she knew exactly where Pat's first duty station would be. After all, she had made sure that it would be as safe a place as possible, away from any dangerous hotbeds, whether it be rebels, smugglers, or pirates. And far away from the always trouble-ridden _Outer Rim_. Pat might not stay there for long, but it would keep her comparatively safe for the near future. Afterwards, she would just have to see what else she could do for her friend.

The closer they got to the center of town and the buildings surrounding the access to the skyhook above, the more congested the streets became. With each city block they passed, the buildings lining the busy thoroughfare grew fancier and more luxurious. Finally, the hovertaxi pulled up to the foot of a huge structure close to one of the mooring points of _Prefsbelt Black_.

Arrayed in tiers around a circular central tower, eight disk-shaped landing platforms provided space for the shuttles and yachts of wealthy or high-ranking visitors. The four on the bottom were supported by strong pillars, each platform several meters higher than and offset by ninety degrees from the previous one. There was room for at least six to eight medium sized vessels on each of them. The other four platforms above them were only about half the size and cantilevered, but arrayed in the same fashion. A ninth platform settled on the very top of the structure, the largest of them all with room for more than twelve Imperial shuttles. A ramp for hovercabs and other ground bound vehicles coiled around the central tower, that also housed several turbo and cargo lifts.

"So much for our sightseeing tour," Serina commented as the side hatch opened. "Do you want to come along or do you want to return to the guest house now?"

"You won't get rid of me quite yet," Pat quipped as she followed her friend out of the cab. "Do you know already where to go?"

Serina nodded. "All the way to the top. That's where he is waiting for me."

Pat didn't bother to inquire how she could be so sure. To certain questions she had learned to not expect an answer from her friend.

After removing her duffle bag from the cargo-space, Serina led the way to one of the turbolifts. Moments later, the lift-doors re-opened onto a vast landing area high above the busy activities of the bustling city. All the visible shuttle pads along the rim of the platform were occupied: several Lambda-class shuttles, a few private yachts and even two B-7 light freighters. Serina had been careful to select a lift facing away from where she had sensed her master to be, so, there was no sign of Lord Vader or the Miralukan Inquisitor on this side of the semispherical housing of the turbolifts.

"I have to say good-bye now," she informed her friend when they had stepped out of the lift cabin. After dropping her bag, she drew Pat into a bear hug. "Would you please promise me something?"

"Sure, what?" her friend inquired as she let go and took a step backwards.

"Find yourself a good ship with a reasonable commander. And try to stay alive. There is quite a bit of trouble brewing in the galaxy. Believe me, I've heard a lot of things in the past years."

"I'll try," the young woman replied, "but we all knew the dangers when we signed up."

Serina nodded, "Some of them, at least, but hardly all of them," she mumbled, more to herself then to Pat. "You better get back now. The others will be waiting already." Then she waited until her friend had stepped back into the turbolift and the doors had closed. After a quick scan of the parked vessels to ensure that nobody was watching her, she reached into her duffle bag and pulled out her thin black robe. Hanging it around her shoulders, she pulled the hood deep into her face. Then she removed her lightsaber from her bag and attached it to her belt. Swinging the duffle bag again onto her back, she made her way toward the far side of the turbolift housing.

She had just moved out of the line of sight of the lift doors, when they re-opened. After a quick scan to ensure that her former roommate hadn't noticed her return, Pat stepped out of the cabin and slipped around the semispherical structure in the direction opposite to the one taken by her friend.

The pads on both sides of the Lambda-class shuttle had been vacated. Several stormtroopers with the typical markings of the 501st had taken up position at the edge of the landing area, discouraging any unwanted visitors from approaching the black clad figure standing at the foot of the lowered exit ramp, no matter how unlikely that situation might be.

As Serina approached, the squad leader started to step into her path, but a quick command from Lord Vader kept him from obstructing the young woman's advance. As she passed the line of troopers, Serina slipped her duffle bag from her shoulder and shoved it into the unexpecting man's hands. Without a word, she stepped around the surprised soldier and covered the last few meters. "Master," she addressed the Sith Lord as she got down upon one knee in front of him.

A wink of his hand caused her to rise back to her feet. "You have met Jerec already."

"Yes, master," Serina confirmed and acknowledged the Miraluka with a small nod of her head.

"The High Inquisitor has an interesting proposal for deploying your abilities. I'll inform you on the way." He turned toward the eyeless man at his side and dismissed him with a curt nod. "Jerec." Then he spun around and strode up the ramp into the shuttle, black robe billowing behind him like the wings of a giant black hawkbat.

Without another glance at the High Inquisitor, Serina followed suit. Before she stepped through the hatch, she turned and gazed back into the direction of the turbolift housing…

…and locked eyes with her former roommate, peering out from the entrance of the cargolift just out of her line of sight. As she directed her perception toward her friend, she could sense the young woman's sudden recognition of the weapon at her side and the confusion over how to interpret what she had just so unwittingly become witness to. For an instant, Serina chided herself for her lack of attention moments earlier. But she had had only thoughts for her master.

There was no telling, what Pat would make of what she had seen, but one thing was certain: their next meeting - whenever that might be - would be quite awkward … for both of them.


End file.
